
Book, ■ H ^ 



A SERIES 



DISCOURSES, 



DELIVERED IN THE SEVERAL MEETINGS OF THF. 

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, 



fUILADELPHIA, GERMANTOWN, ABINGTON, BTBERRT, If E WTO WK, TAXIS, 
AND TREBTTOK. 



BY ELIAS HICKS, 

A Minister in said Society. 



TAKEN IN SHORT HAND BY M. T. C. GOULD. 



PHILADELPHIA .- 

PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH & EDWARD PARKER, 

No. 178 Market Street. 

/. Ashmead & Co, Printers. 

1825. 






295l( 



Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to wit.- 

^ ^-wA^ ^ BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the second day of 
^ L. S. ^ October, in the forty-ninth year of the Independence 
^ \^/>j ^ of the United States'of America, A. D. 1825. 
JOSEPH PARKER & EDWARD PARKER, 
of the said district, have deposited in this office the title o^a 
Book, the right whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the words 
following-, to wit : 

*' A Series of Extemporaneous Discourses, delivered in the se- 
veral meetings of the Society of Friends, in Philadelphia, Ger- 
mantown, Abington, Byberrj', Newtown, Falls, and Trenton. 
By Ehas Hicks, a Minister in said Society. Taken in short hand 
by M. T. C. Gould." 
In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States 
intituled, " An act for the Encouragement of Learning, by se- 
curing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and 
proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned ;'* 
— And also to the act, entitled, "An act supplementary^ to an 
act, entitled, ' An act for the encouragement of learning, by 
seciuing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the autJiors 
and proprietors of such copies dimng the times therein mention- 
ed,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, 
engraving, and etching historical and other prints." 

D. CALDWELL, 
Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 




ADVERTISEMENT. 

The following sermons were preached by Elias 
Hicks, of Jericho, Long Island, (now in his 77th 
year,) when returning from a visit to Baltimore, 
where he had been attending the late Yearly Meeting 
of Friends, held in that city. They commence 
with the second meeting he attended in Philadelphia, 
and end at the city of Trenton, N. J. including the 
two sermons preached by him in that place. They 
form, so far as tliey go, a regular series of discourses, 
as they were delivered by him, in the several meetings 
which he attended in the progress of this part of his 
journey, with the single exception of a prayer, and a 
short exhortation, delivered (in the absence of the 
Stenographer,) in the North meeting house, Phila- 
delphia, on the 30th of the 11th month, 1824. The 
lapse of time intervening between the second and 
third discourses, was owing to confinement from a se- 
vere illness with which Elias Hicks was attacked 
during his stay in this city. 

It is proper to state, in justice to Elias Hicks, that 
in consequence of an unfavourable position for hear- 
ing, occupied by the Stenographer, in very crowded 
assemblies, together with his want of acquaintance 
with the voice and manner of the speaker, and his 
rapid utterance, the first two sermons in the vol- 
ume may be considered in some measure imperfect. 
This will account for the want of connexion appar- 
ent in several places. The publishers regret that 
similar causes have prevented them from laying be- 
fore the public the sermon preached at Pine street 



IV ADVERTISEMENT. 

meeting house, on the morning of First day the 14th 
of 11th month, (the first taken,) as it is apprehended 
it would be difficult to give a satisfactory report of it. 

With regard to the rest, it is believed they will 
be found mostly correct. It has been the object 
of the publishers to give a faithful copy of them, as 
they were delivered ; to effect which, much care has 
been used, and they hope that few if any errors of 
importance will be found in them. It will be observ- 
ed by the reader, that a few asterisks have been occa- 
sionally added, to indicate where sentences or parts 
of sentences have been lost. It will also be noticed 
towards the conclusion of several of the sermons, that 
an unusually wide space is left between the para- 
graphs. This is intended to show that the speaker 
here rose again, after having taken his seat. 

It may be proper to state, that the speaker has had 
no concern in the publication of these discourses ; 
and that he declined examining the printed sheets 
previous to publication. 

In concluding their remarks, the publishers take 
this opportunity of expressing their satisfaction with 
regard to the ability and integrity of the Stenogra-^ 
pher whom they employed on the occasion. 

Philadelphia, 3 mo. 1st 1825. 



STENOGRAPHER'S NOTE. 

The subscriber considers it his duty to explain some 
of the circumstances attending the production of this 
volume. He is aware that great difficulty must at all 
times attend the compilation of such a work, from the 
lips of a public speaker ; and in this case, he conceives, 
that his task has been rendered still more arduous, from 
circumstances beyond the control of a stenographer. 
Among these, are, the difficulty in hearing, and the in- 
convenience of writing in a crowded gallery, without the 
benefit of a table. But he has endeavoured to give an 
impartial copy of the discourses as delivered ; and is 
not conscious, of having done injustice to the speaker 
or to the public. With this conviction, he submits the 
result of his labours, with confidence, to the candour of 
thousands, who heard the discourses ; and upon whose 
decision, the skill and fidelity of the stenographer can 
alone be established. Should errors be discovered, it is 
hoped that the eye of charity will trace their origin, 
through the medium of this apology, to other sources 
than the will of the publick's humble servant. 

M. T. C. GOULD, 

February t 1825, 



SERMON I 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS* MEETING-HOUSE, MULBERRY STe 
IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, ON FIRST DAY AFTER- 
NOON, 14th OF ELEVENTH MONTH, 1824. 

There is one thing necessary in this crowded 
assembly, and that is, for us individually, to en- 
deavour to be still. The importance and serious- 
ness of the occasion upon w^hich we have assem- 
bled demand it. 

I am induced to observe, that since we have 
been sitting together in this meeting, my mind 
has been led to an impressive view of the ex- 
cellency and power of divine love — pure, un- 
defiled love; for what is it, my friends, that 
this love cannot effect? I was ready to say, 
that it would do every thing that man could 
want to be done. It stops the mouth of the lion; 
it quiets every savage disposition in man, and 
brings him to that state, of which the prophet 
speaks, where the lion and the lamb shall lie 
down together. We are told that it fulfils the 
law. I believe it may be said to fulfil all law. 
It is a very clear, rational proposition, that every 
refiecting mind must understand and see; be- 
cause it can have no other motive than to do 
good 5 no aim but to promote truth and righte- 

A 



ousness; and therefore every obligation that at- 
taches to us as reasonable and social beings, is 
within the compass and power of love to effect, 
and to put in practice. But in the first place ; 
although it has the appellation of love, it will 
also bear the appellation of light; that light which 
searches all things ;— all the hidden things of 
darkness ; — for, as God is love, so God is light, 
and these are indivisible. 

In the working of its power upon the children 
of men, it shows them every defilement that is 
about them ; — it is so penetrating, that it searches 
all the dark cavities of the soul, and brings all 
to light. It gives every rational creature a per- 
fect view of his state, and in the most moving 
language and impressions of that feeling that 
love only produces in the soul. 

The soul that is brought under its influence 
cannot err, whilst that governs ; for it is stronger 
than death. It enables the rational creature to 
surrender himself up, a ^dctim to death; — to 
suffer his enemies, or any power whatever, 
to take his life, rather than to break the bands 
of love, or in any way trespass upon it. See, 
O see, what is it that love cannot effect, for all 
the children of men that are willing to be guided 
by it ! 

Some may query how we shall come at it? 
It is as clear as the proposition itself. It re 
quires nothing of man but to submit; and what 
is still more, it leaves no stone unturned to 



bring him to a knowledge of its real nature, its 
real essence ; for I have no doubt, my friends, 
that most of us believe, that if Grod is love, he 
has intended that his rational creatures should 
all be brought under its power, and be partakers 
of its excellency. He could have had no other 
design in the creation of man. 

Then, my friends, why is it so much other- 
wise? Why is there so little of this love experi- 
enced among the children of men? Yea, we 
may bring it to our own family circles ; for want 
of dwelling in this love, they are divided one 
against another. They find in their own expe- 
rience, the fulfilment of that declaration of Je- 
sus, " Think not that I am come to send peace 
on earth: I come not to send peace, but a 
sword." " A man's enemies shall be they of 
his own household'' — that his coming would set 
•^the son against the father, the mother against the 
daughter, the daughter against the mother, the 
mother in-law against her daughter-in-law, and 
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." 
Now, all tliis, is for want of being willing to 
come and be subjected to the influence of this 
glorious principle, that is from youth to age, 
wooing of us, and using every means that God 
knows how to use. He is willing to recall the 
rebellious children of men into obedience to his 
will, and thus to give him up his rightful prero- 
gative. 



We shall be brought to acknowledge one day, 
I trust, that he has made manifest, what his will 
is. He has shown to every one his way — he 
has called us again and again — he has repeated 
his calls, and not been weary ; but in abundant 
mercy and loving kindness, leaving no stone un- 
turned, to bring us to this influence ; that we 
might be wedded to it in such a manner, that by 
continuing under its power, we may be brought 
into its true and pure nature. We might bring 
a variety of instances to enforce this view, one 
of which presents to my mind. It is the declara- 
tion of the apostle Paul : " For as many as are 
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of 
God.'' See how very plain this is. If we would 
but endeavour to fulfil the law of God, every ob- 
ligation, as social beings, and as accountable be- 
ings, lie would enable us to come into the per- 
formance of. Why then stand out any longer ? 
Why give way to tamper with temptations, and 
let our uncultivated passions arise in our minds, 
so that instead of turning us into lambs, they 
make us like beasts of prey, trying to harm one 
another ? 

Some may query — By what means shall we 
know, when the Spirit presents itself to be our 
leader ? It is a plain proposition, and we can 
know it, if we only have a willingness. He has 
not left a rational creature, without a witness in 
his own soul. He does not send them away to 



find out what his will is: the knowledge is with- 
in their own breasts. There it is that he gives a 
display of his goodness. He calls upon us to 
come away from every thing that has a tendency 
to annoy and hurt either soul or body, — to the 
leading of his blessed light and Spirit. 

And here as we begin, let us begin as he 
begins. We know not how to begin ourselves. 
— ^We may go to books and to men, but they 
will not enable us to take one step in the 
right way, unless we are brought home to a 
knowledge of love in our own souls. All that 
men or books can do, is to point us to this great 
principle, which is only to be known in our own 
souls. The wise and the good have all pointed 
us to this principle, still we have neglected it — 
still we have dallied along. We have not been 
willing to come to the practical part. The Apos- 
tle tells us, ^^by grace ye are saved through 
faith ;'^ but where is the man, or where is the 
woman, that has been saved by it, who have 
rebelled against it, who have been negligent, 
who have delighted more in following their own 
ways or spirits, than to be regulated by the love 
of God in their own souls. We are too apt to 
amuse ourselves with vanities; for every thing 
is vanity which fails of answering this great 
end. The way to arrive at a knowledge of this 
divine love, and the way to be enabled to fulfil 
the whole law, is to love all the creation of God, 



6 

and do right to all^ men and beasts. And yet, 
liow far are we from doing this. We are read- 
ing the Bible, from youth to old age, which tes- 
tifies and tells us what we ought to do. We are 
making a great deal of it. Many idolize it; and 
yet, if we judge by their fruits, we shall not 
see that they believe the book they read at all. 
Their general works are in du'ect opposition to 
its teaching. The letter, if we trust to it, kills ; 
but the Spirit, and nothing but the Spirit, can 
give us true life. 

I will now, as it comes before me, mention an 
argument of Paul. It was his great concern to 
convert the Gentiles to the Christian faith, by 
which they might be saved with an everlasting 
salvation; — and, what are we but Gentiles? 
He leads us on by excellent counsel : " Eye 
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have en- 
tered into the heart of man, the things which 
God hath prepared for them that love him.'^ It 
appeals to us sensibly and rationally — " but he 
hath revealed them unto us,'' that is believers ; 
those who attain to life, — ^-he hath revealed them 
unto us by his Spirit : for the Spirit searcheth all 
things, yea, the deep tilings of God. For what 
man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit 
of man, which is in him ? even so, the things 
of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." 

Shall we believe, then, that the letter, — nay, 
the best letter ever written or engraven on earth, 



can bring us to know God ? If what the apostle 
declared, is true — and it is reasonable to every 
rational creature — we must give in, to this con- 
elusive argument, that nothing, but the Spirit of 
God, can teach us the will of God. The effect 
never ought to be put in the place of the cause; 
for the effect can never be the cause, so that it 
is only the light, which he has manifested to 
the children of men that must direct us. Because 
we cannot suppose, that he is so unmindful of 
tlie well being of his creation, as to suffer them 
to depend for any thing at second hand. We 
must all bring it to the test of the Spirit. Paul 
was aware of this, when he told them " follow 
me as I follow Christ.'' How were they to 
know that he followed Christ, in any other way, 
except by the revelation of God, in their own 
souls? ^^The natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolish- 
ness unto him; neither can he know them, be- 
cause they are spiritually discerned.*' 

O, my friends, what will be our lot, by and 
by, if we are not more concerned, to gather to 
this powerful love, which will enable us to fulfil 
all the laws of God and man, which are found- 
ed in justice ; and without studying them, too, 
my friends; because perfect love, can never have 
but one way of doing good. Here now we 
may see the danger of putting off and pro- 
crastinating. Yesterday we were doing well, and 



8 

to-day we may be led on well, but to-mon'ow we 
know not what may be our condition. Hence, it 
is necessary for us to go on, from day to day- 
under the direction of the di\Tine light, as point 
ed out to the Israelites in their outward journey- 
ing, under the direction of that ^isible guide 
which God had appointed. Did he trust to what 
Moses said to them ? Xo, he caused a light to 
follow them by night, and a cloud to guide them 
by day. I will not leave you to the direction of 
men, even the best of men, who may be highly 
blest — I will give you an evidence. Now if God 
was thus gracious, to give an evidence to Israel 
in that low and humble dispensation, how much 
more will he do so, in this Gospel dispensation? 
Have we not a more excellent leader than that 
of fire by night, and a cloud by day, which were 
only seen by the outward senses ? When under 
the direction of the Gospel dispensation, he gives 
us a light above all the brightness of the sun. 
By this he leads all his children : '* for as many 
as aixi led by the Spirit of God, they are the 
sons of God.'' What is this Spirit of God ? It 
is lisrht and life in the soul of man. It teaches 
us all things, and brings all things to our re- 
membrance, which it is necessary for us to re- 
member. He does not deal superfluously with 
us ; he never can require something for nothing. 
He never did do it, and he never will. It would 
be inconsistent with his nature ; — therefore, we 



may believe liim, for it is impossible for him to 
lie. It is impossible for him to do any thing, 
contrary to justice, mercy, and truth. But we 
are so attached to outward things, that we have 
gone to the book, and when we read it, we did 
not turn in to search by the light in our under- 
standings, to be informed of its true meaning ; 
but we have undertaken by our own power to 
interpret it : and thus, instead of its proving a 
blessing, it confounds and divides Christendom, 
into thousands and thousands of sects and pro- 
fessions. The language is confounded, because 
tliey undertake to build castles, which will reach 
to heaven, for themselves. All these must fall ; 
— there is nothing that will do, but to exclude 
all external things, and depend on the light of 
God in the heart; there is nothing else that can 
do it, there is nothing else that ever did do it. 
We see how excellent the law was formerly to 
the Israelites ; and yet it was not enough to make 
them perfect, unless it led them to the Spmt. 
The prophets became spiritually minded. Mo- 
ses, at the recommendation of his father-in-law, 
appointed seventy to be judges in Israel, and 
the Lord's Spirit was poured upon them, and 
they began to prophesy in the camp. How car- 
nal they were; — when these elders began to 
speak, they went and complained to Moses, that 
Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the 
camp. Moses said, " I would to God, that all 



10 

the Lord's people were prophets, and that the 
Lord would put his Spirit upon them." Here he 
had a view of the excellency of this Spirit, and 
desired that every one should be a teacher of 
righteousness and a prophet, because they are 
altogether under the influence of the Spirit of 
God ; they are led on by the Spirit of the Lord. 
Therefore the prophet declared, they would be 
as sons and daughters ; thus he would be a fa- 
ther to them, and they should be his sons and 
daughters. Nothing can do this for us but turn- 
ing our thoughts inward. How instructive was 
it in the man Jesus, in that outward tabernacle. 
"In him was life, and the life was the light of 
men. And the light shined in darkness, and the 
darkness comprehended it not." Wherefore this 
light is in every one of us. We have all a mani- 
festation of it, sufficient for our own end. He 
had the fulness of it, as we have our several al- 
lotments. There was notliing superfluous in 
order to effect his great and glorious purpose 
among the children of Israel. "In him was 
life ; and the life was the light of men." That 
is, every one is enlightened by the same divine 
light that Jesus was enliglitened mth ; and we 
receive it from the same source. He says, " It is 
not I that do these things, but the Father that 
dwells in me." 

Who was his father ? — He was begotten of Grod. 
We cannot suppose that it was the outward body 



11 

of flesh and blood that was begotten of God, but 
a birth of the spiritual life in the soul. We 
must apply it internally and spiritually. For 
nothing can be a son of Grod, but that which 
is spirit ; and nothing but the soul of man is a 
recipient for the light and Spiiit of God. There- 
fore, nothing can be a son of God but that which 
is immortal and invisible. Nothing visible can be 
a son of God. Every visible thing must come 
to an end, and we must know the mortality of 
it. Flesh and blood cannot enter into heaven. — 
By the analogy of reason spirit cannot beget a 
material body, because the thing begotten must 
be of the same nature with its father. Spirit 
cannot beget any thing but spirit ; it cannot be- 
get flesh and blood — No; my friends^ it is impos- 
sible. 

Jesus declared, " that which is born of the 
flesh is flesh." He alluded to the inquiry of 
Nicodemus, how a man could be born again? He 
shows him it was not a natural but a spiritual 
birth ; for " that which is born of the flesh is 
flesh." He, therefore, said, " Except a man 
be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of heaven." Man is a compound being. One 
part is composed of flesh and blood ; the other 
part of spirit, and as the immortal soul is born 
of the spirit and power of God, it becomes a son 
of God. This has been the effect in all ages as 
the soul has come up in obedience to the spirit of 



12 

God. For see, a son having the full nature of 
the father, must have the same nature and will. 
Jesus declares what we ought to do: "I came 
not to do my own will, but the will of him that 
sent me." We are not sent here to do our own 
will, but to serve God in newness of life. So that 
what seems to be my mission among my fellow 
creatures, is to endeavour to lead the minds of my 
fellow creatures to the substance, and not to the 
shadow; and from every thing external as nothing 
but shadow. Because heavenly things cannot be 
seen by our natural senses : we cannot make an 
image even of our own soul, much less of God. 
'^ Tliou shalt not make unto thee any graven im- 
age, or any likeness of any thing that is in the 
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or 
that is in the Avater under the earth : Thou shalt 
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them : 
for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God.^' 
He will not give his praise to graven images. If 
we make to ourselves any image of Jesus Christ, 
it is as much an idol to us, as Juggernaut is to 
the eastern nations. 

I would ask, did we ever see our own soul, 
or can we comprehend it ? We feel that we have 
something powerful mthin us, operating upon 
this animal machine, but we can form no figure 
or likeness of it. It is altogether out of our 
power, or comprehension, to make a likeness of 
the soul. God is a spirit, and therefore, nothing 



13 

can be worship, but that which is in spirit and in 
truth ; and this is a work carried on by the Spi- 
rit of God, in the spirit of man, both invisible to 
all the outward comprehension of the creature. 
We feel we have it — we feel its pov/er. It is as 
self-evident to us as the operation of the light 
and heat of the sun in the outward. So it is, 
that the outward is like an index. Man is a ta- 
bernacle for the soul, during the day of proba- 
tion. The outward sun reveals all the world 
outwardly. By means of the light of the sun, 
the soul has a capacity of exercising itself upon 
outward things. If we take away our reason 
we could make no proper use of them. Will 
men give away their reason for any thing? 
Will they give away reason and take the 
bible? No. Because, without this their bi- 
ble would be good for nothing. We cannot, 
with all our reasoning powers, however, pe- 
netrate into the things of God, or that which con- 
cerns the soul of man. When we turn inward 
we find something which the outward senses 
cannot comprehend. It is this revealing spirit 
that gives us a view of the things of God, and our 
minds can then act upon them. There is no re- 
cipient for that revelation but the soul of man ; 
for the things of God are not to be seen by our 
natural senses, but in our own souls. And, here, 
our reason draws conclusions, which are com- 
forting and cheering. Therefore, we are not to 



14 

try these things by external matter ; for if we 
should try the operations of our souls by books, 
we set the letter above the spirit ; we turn back 
to darkness, for the letter killeth, but the spirit 
only giveth life. Oh, that we might be more 
spiritually minded, more gathered inward, to 
the light of grace in our souls. What can we 
do without it? Nothing at all. We must 
stand as blanks on the earth, unless we are turn- 
ed inward to the teachings of God in our souls. 

Now to confirm tliis, I will remember us of 
tiie saying of a wise and good man of former 
times. " By grace ye are saved, and that not of 
yourselves : It is the gift of God : Not of works, 
lest any man should boast : For we are his work- 
manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good 
works, which God hath before ordained, that we 
should walk in them.'' This is a foreordination 
I admit : But by it the Almighty never could 
intend any thing but good works. For unless 
he had given man the power of choice, he could 
not be accountable for any works he did. If he 
had not tiiis power of choice, he would be a mere 
machine. 

Another Apostle says, " He that believeth on 
the son of God, hath the witness in himself.'' 
^^For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, 
hath appeared to all men." — I appeal to this 
large assembly, whether they do not know this 
to be truth ? '^ teaching us, that denying ungod- 



15 

liness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly, in this present world.'^ 
We all know, by its teaching, what is good and 
what is evil, and, therefore, every one ought to 
believe in it. We may have this grace, and not 
be taught by it, so as to be " looking for that 
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the 
Grreat God, and of Christ our Lord/' 

How plain and how easy is the way cast up 
— ^that the Lord has cast up, if we are only wil- 
ling and obedient : the willing and obedient learn, 
and hear, and they will be led by the Spirit 
and love of Grod shed abroad in the heart. 

IN^ow, don't let all this be as a pleasant song 
to you ; for I have come to point you to that 
which can mend your hearts, and that is all I 
can do for you. When I have pointed you to 
the thing, I have done all that I can do, or all 
the ministers on the earth. Here we must leave 
you, in the hands of God; Submit yourselves, 
then, and become the clay; let him be the potter, 
and he will work a great and glorious work in 
you. Oh! how great and glorious is his name. 
His name is his power, and his power he is dis- 
pensing to all, enabling them to do his will. 
We can add nothing to him ; he wants nothing 
from us. Every thing he does is for our sakes. 
Then, if we love him, ought we not to do every 
thing for him, and not for ourselves ? When we 
do this we do nothing for our own sakes, but 



16 

wl^en we work for our own sakes we are selfisli. 
All we do, ought to be done for the glory of 
God ; whether in eating, in drinking, or in put- 
ting on of apparel; let it all be for the glory 
of God. Because we cannot do it for our own 
glory unless we are selfish. 

The effect of love in the soul is, to crucify the 
man of sin and son of perdition, and cast him 
out with all his deeds. But we keep tampering 
with temptations. 

O, my dear young people, no longer stand 
aloof! Can you be so unwise, as for the sake 
of some ribbon or little bauble, to suffer your 
minds to be led astray from your God ? Will 
you give way to these vanities, and so barter 
away your everlasting happiness? Be persuaded 
by one who loves you, to choose the Lord for 
your portion ; — listen to hear his words : they 
are all-powerful to believers, and those who feel 
a desire after righteousness. Let us become 
tired of the vanities of this life; ^nd let us be 
willing to give up all to God. Let us press on, 
as Paul recommends, " toward the mark, for the 
prize of the liigh calling of God in Christ Je- 
sus.?? — Yet he acknowledged he had not attain- 
ed all ; " but I press forward toward the mark.'* 
So we ought to do as long as we are here in 
this probationary state. We ought continually 
to be rising higher and higher in divine enjoy- 
ment. See how it was with the apostle ; — he 



17 

acknowledges that when he was taken up into 
the third heaven he saw things not fit to be re- 
lated. What is this third heaven but a three- 
fold manifestation or enjoyment of the divine 
presence, in which things are revealed not law- 
ful to be uttered, because they would not be un- 
derstood by the people ? — It was expressed in a 
way to encourage us. Then let us come to the 
same state, and we shall enjoy it ; and be able 
to go on from one degree of perfection to another. 
But time will fail to speak of these things to the 
full. A word to the wise may be sufficient. 

It is my prayer and heart's desire, that you im- 
prove and try it. Search the Scriptures, as we 
read the Bereans did, and see whether these 
things are not so. But you cannot know them, by 
reading them merely; but as you are directed by 
the light of the divine Spirit. Under the influence 
of that Spirit, you may not only read and under- 
stand them, but you will be confirmed thereby. 
This Spirit led the ancients, and it will lead us. 
Our experience will all correspond, when we 
come to understand this. Our doctrines will be 
alike brought forth out of the treasury. 

I have little cause to conclude, that I shall 
ever see your faces again. I want you to be 
encouraged, and to turn inward to the Lord 
your God, and know that he is good. Often 
retire to the closet of your hearts, and he will 
give you strength to perform every duty. 



18 

1 can look back to the time when I was 
young : and used to sit in the corner of my mas- 
ter's house, meditating upon the law of God. 
He showed me the way I ought to walk, and 
so he will do to you, if you will turn your 
thoughts inwardly. All this he does for youth ; 
— he makes them feel bis goodness and love. 
This I am a witness of; then my own soul was 
mollified. O try to turn to tlie Lord with full 
purpose of heart. that you might be willing 
and obedient. But I must draw to a close. 
^^ Cease to do evil, learn to do well; plead for 
the widow. Come and let us reason together, 
saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow ; though they 
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If 
ye are willing and obedient, ye shall eat the 
good of the land." 

PRAYER. 

Gracious and adorable God, in the riches of 
thy mercy, deign to look down upon thy poor 
creature man. Be pleased, O Lord, to bless 
and sanctify this oppoi'tunity, to all present, if 
consistent with thy holy will. Thou knowest, 
gracious God, that we of ourselves can do no- 
thing. We are clothed in weakness. Thou 
knowest, that the work is thine; and that the 
power is thine. Graciously condescend to 



19 

strengthen us, and quicken us, to come near 
unto thee — to draw near unto thee, and cast 
down our crowns at thy footstool. Strengthen 
the weak and disconsolate soul ; lift up the head 
that is ready to hang down, and confirm the 
feeble knee. Help us more and more to draw 
together ; to turn unto thee, with thanksgiving 
and glory, who remains to be God over all, 
blessed for ever, and ever more. 



I am thankful for this opportunity ; and, have 
now one request more to make ; and this is, that 
we may part in a sober and quiet manner, with- 
out crowding. Let every thing be done decently 
and in order. 



SERMON II. 



CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, ON THIRD DAY, l6th OF ELE- 
VENTH MONTH, 1824. 

'' To do good and to communicate forget not." 
is an ancient declaration, which has lost nothing of 
its excellency by age. It is the disposition which 
must veign in every good man and woman. But 
how much more pre- eminently excellent is the 
doctrine and example of Jesus Christ, m liere he 
endeavours to enforce upon us the necessity of 
our loving our enemies, doing good to those who 
hate us, blessing those who curse us, and pray- 
ing for those who despitefully use us aud perse- 
cute us. Add to this his holy example towards 
his offending disciple, Judas, that although he 
knew his heart, and no doubt, his secret machi- 
nations to betray him and take his life, yet how he 
continued with him ! What goodness, what love, 
that he was permitted, even at the last supper, to 
take paii; \nth his master ; and even when he 
came to fulfil his traitorous design, Jesus kissed 
him ! What deep instruction ! — what a mighty 
example ! 

Ought we not all to come into the same dispo- 
sition — the same condition? Can we be christians 



21 

without it? Can we do good and communicate 
good, without it ? What a mighty effect had this 
upon Judas — this loving act of his master ! By 
the power of divine love how he was overcome ! 
What a blessed condition ! Ought it not to be 
our concern to labour after jt without ceasing, 
and never give over the pursuit till we have at- 
tained it ? For until we attain to this disposition, 
we can hardly be said to do good: for nothing else 
will ever enable us to do it with a sincere heart. 
W^e must have that powerful love, which is 
stronger than death — that love which casts out 
all fear. What wonders has it not done, and what 
wonders will it not still do among the children 
of men. 

These things have been brought to my remem- 
brance since sitting in this meeting, and I deem- 
ed it right to communicate them at this time, 
that we might be brought into serious reflection. 

The only way we can expect to profit, is, on 
such occasions, to bring ourselves to feel the pow- 
er of this divine love — this divine light. They 
are one, indivisibly one; and therefore, if we 
would bring our deeds to the light at this time, 
and compare them with the love of Jesus in his 
example to Judas, what a clear view we could 
have of ourselves, and of our state and condi- 
tion to approach the Lord. He is love, and love 
may be considered as comprehending all his pow- 



22 

er and all his wisdom ; but goodness is the most 
proper term that we can apply, 

I apprehend we shall all agree, that we can 
be brought into this condition. It would do as 
great wonders as it ever did. It would banish 
all contention and war. This was the design 
of the new covenant dispensation. It was the 
design of the coming of Christ to put an end to 
sin and transgression. And there is no other 
medium through which it is to be effected, but 
as we come individually into this condition. 
Then, when we meet our worst enemies, we 
shall, like Jesus, overcome them with love. Let 
us then cultivate this disposition. It is the only 
true medium through which to bring down the 
power of darkness. And yet how dift'erent from 
this, are many men. 

I remember a circumstance of two brothers who 
lived near my own habitation. They lived near 
together, and were exercised in the same con- 
cerns, but w ere both so bowed down under the 
power of darkness, they did not speak to each 
other for several years ; and no doubt the same 
causes will produce the same effects in others. I 
do not know that there are any such here, but 
let us be upon our guard, against sinking into 
such a state of degradation. 

These individuals became a by-word in the 
neighbourhood, and to all the children of men 
who knew them. Here we may learn, not only by 



23 

the example of one another, but by whatever we 
meet with, were we under a right state of mind; 
did we come down to that condition in which we 
can improve. " If any man will be my disciple, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross and 
follow me." Now look, my friends, if those 
brethren had attained to that state, what bless- 
ings they might have experienced in each other's 
society. But we see what it is to bring evil on 
ourselves. 

I trust that I have seen in that light which 
does not deceive me ; that all the sin in the world 
is created by man, and therefore, that he must 
suffer it all, in order to learn the better way. It 
is as we give way to a selfish disposition — it is 
nothing but a selfish desire, to rise above our 
proper place, seeking to be equal with God, and 
to have rule over our fellow creatures, that is the 
ground of all our transgression. 

And when we look around and behold the evils 
in the land, what a multitude of schemes do we 
see, up and down, among the professors of Chris- 
tianity, under the pretence of doing good. But 
the instruments are not prepared for it ; they 
have no lot or inheritance in it, if we may judge 
from their works. When we look at the great 
number of Bible and Missionary Societies, and 
mercenary ministers, can we believe that they 
are doing good ? No, we cannot believe it, if we 
are rational beings : because the tree must first 



24 

be good before the fruit can be good. We can- 
not believe that the all wise Jehovah makes use 
of such means, to promote his cause on earth. 
We see men in the midst of pride, wantonness, 
and cruelty, uniting themselves and engaging to 
spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is an 
abomination in the land — it is so clear that 
those who run may see it. Can slaveholders, 
mercenaries, and hirelings, who look for their 
gain from their quarter, can they promote the re- 
ligion of Jesus Christ? No, they are the cause 
of its reproach, for they are the cause of making 
unbelievers. 

I mention these things as they rise in my 
mind; and let us be careful to have no connex- 
ion with the works of darkness. Never were 
there more works of darkness in Christendom, 
than at the present time. And what are these 
works of darkness, but Satan transforming him- 
self into an angel of light ? It is anti-christ that 
has produced them. 

We are made free on purpose that we can 
make a right choice ; there is ability conferred 
on us to make this choice, without any thing but 
the subjection of our own will, and it is just as 
easy for a man to make choice of good, as his 
understanding is illuminated, as to do the con- 
trary. He is left upon this simple ground. 

Who are the elect of God ? None but those 
who elect him for their portion. He will not 



25 

elect those who do not elect him. It therefore 
stands in our own choice ; and if, after all he 
has done in putting us in the way to do right, 
we do not give up to be governed by his light 
and grace, we cannot be elected of him. But if 
we attend to this and do his will, we shall all 
come to experience a conquest over every temp- 
tation that is troubling us from day to day : al- 
though we might have slipped as our first pa- 
rents did, when we had not lived to see by ex- 
perience the consequence of evil. It was the 
case of our first parents ; they had not experi- 
enced evil, till they were brought to a know- 
ledge of it, when seeking to accomplish what 
they were led to by temptation. Is not this our 
case now, every individual of us ? 

Have we not all sinned, and come short of 
the glory of God — and how shall we know that 
he is a merciful Grod? If we stand aloof and 
act directly contrary to the example set by his 
son, shall any of us be saved ? But when he 
meets us in the cool of the day, when our mind 
is drawn from its own will, his loving Spirit will 
come upon us, and show us what to do, and con- 
vince us of the rectitude of our ceasing to do 
evil and learning to do well. He requires nothing 
else of us, if we will believe our own individual 
experience. When we have beheld his tender 
mercies, have we not all been confounded and im- 
peached as our first parents were? And when Imj 

D 



26 

convinces us of his design in reproving us. here is 
the time when his mercy and grace are calling us 
to come away. The language is this : " Cease to 
do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve 
the oppressed, plead for the widow/' What a 
field is here opened for self-examination ! Have 
we been concerned to do well, and take upon 
ourselves to do all the good we can, and as little 
hui't as possible ? This is an excellent religion, to 
do as much good, and as little hurt as possible. 
Have we been willing to relieve the oppressed, 
or have we left it for others to do for us ? All 
these things the light would bring to us, if we 
were rightly engaged ; if we were brought into 
a condition to search our own hearts. ^^How 
often is tlie candle of the wicked put out?'^ 
Even in this we find encouragement, because the 
candle could not be often put out, unless it was 
also often lighted ; which shows the mercy of 
God, and his willingness to show them the right 
wav. 

Our every day's observation, admonishes us, 
to cease to do evil and learn to do well, to plead 
for the widow. Now can those who are taking 
from the widow to aggrandize themselves be 
complying with this requirement? Is not this 
the case with Missionary Societies and those 
connected with them ? If they had the glory of 
God in view, they would, instead of taking from 
them, give to them all they have to spare of theu* 



27 

own. But they do it under this pretence; they 
call on them to give, for God's sake, if they will 
not do it for their own sakes. Is it not so? Can 
it be denied? Here now what deep search we 
want. Custom and tradition are powerful things. 
They lead the children of men into darkness, by 
little and little. Thus they are led on according 
to custom and practice, under cover of some high 
sounding name, involving themselves deeper and 
deeper in darkness, till they can go on in works 
directly opposed to God and his cause. Let us 
dig deep and search for ourselves ; and no lon- 
ger lend an ear to the lo, heres, and lo, theres, 
but let us be willing to do like Mary of old. 
She had but one beloved. And what did she 
do? Did she do like her sister Martha? She 
was troubled about many things, and seemed 
desirous to do what she could to serve their 
master. But Mary knew her own inability. She 
knew that she was not qualified for any good 
purpose, work, or word of herself. In her hu- 
miliation her judgment was taken av/ay. She 
was brought to see her worthlessness. Here 
she humbled herself at the feet of Jesus, to wait 
for the words w hich should fall from his mouth. 
Remember this was a typical dispensation, and 
affords an excellent example for those who 
have no outward object to look to. She was 
under this dispensation, and here she did just 
right; she gave up all to him whom she believed 



28 

to be the Prophet and the Messiah of Israel : 
who had come to do away the ceremonial law 
and religion. Here she trusted not in her own 
judgment or ability, but sat down at his feet 
and waited to be instructed of him^ while her 
sister, who had undoubtedly some love for her 
master, continued to pursue her worldly concerns, 
as many do in the present day, who may have 
a great deal of love, but who do not go the right 
way to work, as Mary did. They go to work 
in their own ability, setting one another to work 
as Martha would have done : ^* Bid her therefore 
that she help me."' See how those Avhom I 
have mentioned, are setting each other to work ; 
crying out for aid, in money, or any thing else 
that they have at their command. I cannot be- 
lieve that they have any other aim or object, 
than the gratification of their own selfish de- 
sires, like Martha of old. 

What was Jesus' answer to Martha? He 
reprehended her, but he did it with love. '^ Mar- 
tha, Martha, thou art careful, and troubled about 
many things ; but one thing is needful ; and 
Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall 
not be taken away from her." Mind, my friends, 
what is that good part, that Jesus directed his 
disciples to, and directs us to in the present day? 
He did not tell them to go to books or to men ? 
No : but they were to sit down like Mary under a 
sense of their oa^ti nothingness; and when he 



29 

went to leave them^ all their hope was gone^ 
they could do nothing but attend to his com- 
mands, and wait in humble silence for the Com- 
forter which he told them the Father would send 
in his name. Here then is the place we must 
gather to^ and set down like Mary at the divine 
footstool^ and attend to the instructions of the 
only true teacher under heaven, to any of the 
rational children of men. He is the sole teacher 
to us, as Jesus was to Mary. Here we see 
that this Comforter was distinct from him : ^* It 
is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go 
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; 
but if I depart I will pray the Father^ and he 
will send you another Comforter.'^ 

What was this Comforter? It was a spiritual 
one; it was a new divine law ; it was that which 
crosses the selfish disposition of man. This 
was the cross. There is nothing that can cru- 
cify the will of man, but this divine Spirit; for 
God is a Spirit, and his Spirit is the law. He 
manifests himself, in his love to every one of 
his rational children, teaching them what they 
ought to do, and what they ought to leave un- 
done. It is then left for them to make the elec- 
tion; and how clear the way is, my friends! 
The wayfaring man though a fool may know 
it; it is so plain and so easy. And what ex- 
cellent opportunities have we, to improve, when 
through his gracious goodness we are enabled 



30 

to sit down and wait upon him. But have we 
come as Mary did, to sit down at his feet, or 
have we been trying to bring up portions of 
Scripture and other written books ? If we have 
been studying these, we are beside our proper 
business ; but if we strive to do as Mary did, to 
banish every unruly or selfish imagination from 
the soul, although we cannot do this of our- 
selves, yet, if we seek to do it, the Spirit will 
help our infirmity. When I recommend this 
stillness, I am aware that it is not in the power 
of man to command it, but it is no sign the Al- 
mighty cannot do it for us. And when we con- 
sider that his glory, and our happiness consist 
in it, will we not endeavour after this state. Oh I 
that we might remember this. All that we have 
to do, is to do as the sons of God did formerly. 
They met often, but we do not hear of any par- 
ticular exercise, by which they were busied with 
unnecessary and unprofitable thoughts. It is 
the great warfare of a christian, to bring every 
vain imagination to the cross of Christ, in order 
to be in a condition to hear that still small voice. 
For it was testified to the Lord's children, that 
he would restore to them a teacher that should 
no more be removed into a corner ; " but thine 
eyes shall see thy teacher, and thine ears shall 
hear a voice behind thee, saying, this is the way, 
walk in it.'' Now, my friends, how are we to 
see or know this teacher ? Are we to do it with 



31 

our natural eyes or external senses ? No^ by no 
means. Oiir teacher is invisible to the outward 
view of man. Nothing but having the mind 
opened and enlightened, can enable us to see 
this teacher, and hear his gracious instructions. 
Here we shall surrender all up to him. Jesus 
declared, " the kingdom of God is within you ;" 
and he sits as a refiner and purifyer in the soul. 
We need not look a great way off, or to the end 
of the world, because he always sits upon his 
seat in the heart, and we can bring all our deeds 
to the light, and have them tried at the judgment 
seat. 

"Some men's sins go beforehand to judg- 
ment, and some follow after.'^ What are we to 
understand by this? All good men who are 
seeking to be instructed by the divine law writ- 
ten in the mind ; these are those that know their 
sins to go before to jutlgment. As we repent 
and reform, he cleanses our hearts from them, 
and banishes them from us. Those wiio will 
not come home to this internal test, but, like Fe- 
lix, turn away this blessed teacher ; those are 
they, who will go on accumulating sin, till the 
final close ; and all these sins will be pressing up- 
on them, when upon a sick bed and a rolling pil- 
low : these are they, whose sins come afterward, 
even sinking the soul to despair. Oh ! that we 
might learn while the opportunity and means are 
enjoyed ! 



32 

We are all the work of the same holy hand; 
and, therefore, we have no right to exalt our- 
selves one above another. Let hiin that is great- 
est be servant of all, after the example of his 
master. But this does not suit us ; those who 
are set up by their brethren, instead of being 
servants, assume to themselves, the prerogative 
of being masters : They neglect their duty, and 
turn to the exercise of their own powers. There 
is but one way for us, my friends ; and I do 
not want to be tedious in expression; but I 
feel that love that reaches to the ends of the 
earth ; that love which can do every thing ; 
that love which is shed abroad in the heart of 
every good man, and that love which brought 
Mary to sit at the feet of Jesus. 

There is no outward Comforter, no outward 
teacher, that can do the work for us in any way, 
or give us a knowledge of what the will of the 
Father is ; for nothing else can do it, but the di- 
vine teacher within, the light and spirit of God. 
In any other way we may look from youth to 
old age and never find it ; for Jesus declared to 
the Jewish people, " I am the way, the truth, 
and the life.*' He was now under a figurative 
dispensation ; but he points them to a Comforter 
not incumbered with flesh and blood, but an im- 
mediate teacher to the soul, invisible to their ex- 
ternal comprehension. It must be so, for you 
know that our own souls are invisible, as God is 



33 

invisible ; and is it not plain to us that the animal 
eye cannot discern spirit. And this immortal 
spirit in man, is what constitutes the Son of God. 
Nothing but the immortal soul can become a 
Son of God. He has conferred on us such pow- 
er as is suited to the necessities of his crea- 
tures ; and as we attend to it we may come to 
the spirit and power, which enables us to be his 
children ; " for as many as are led by the Spirit 
of God, they are the sons of God," and none 
other. Then we must conclude, that this Spirit 
is not any thing that we have seen, or that we 
can see ; " for it dwelleth with you, and shall 
be in you. And when it cometh it shall teach 
you all things, and bring all things to your re- 
membrance; and will guide you into all truth.'^ 
How plain and how simple it is ! Then what 
have we to do, but to gather home to this Spirit? 
We have met together for a religious purpose. 
We have met under the pretence of worshipping 
God ; but alas ! how few are there in this as- 
sembly that do it ! What a small number of those 
assembled on this day, will know any thing of 
worshipping God in spirit and in truth ! What 
is the reason of this? We have not come to 
the state Mary came to, and that every chris- 
tian must be brought to. We must become as 
blanks in the world as it regards our own will 5 
we must have no judgment of our own, no know- 
ledge in the concern. We are to wait on God 

E 



34 

in tliis humility. When we are brought to this 
condition — and we cannot be brought to it till 
we go on gradually, in the way pointed out, 
'^ Cease to do evil, relieve the oppressed, plead 
for the Avidow'* — then he will come in and rea- 
son with us. He will not open a way for us to 
worship in spirit and in truth, until we cease 
from all evil, and learn to do well. The Al- 
mighty cannot unite with us, and speak with 
us face to face, till we are brought off from all 
those sins which are in direct opposition to his 
holy nature. 

Well why is it, then, that Ave assemble so of- 
ten and do not worship? Is it not like reflecting 
on him ? — And Avill it not be an abomination in 
his sight, and worse for us than if we had not 
assembled, — if Ave go on and do not cease to 
do Avrong ! And it is not only when Ave are 
assembled, that we are to cease from evil, but 
through every hour of the day, otherwise we 
are liable to fall into evil. Especially at even 
tide, it is our duty to bring in review, all the 
doings of the day, and see if any thing has 
been done in our oAvn will, for our selfish grati- 
fication. He condescends to meet us, and as we 
give up, and acknowledge our sins, he gives us 
the gift of repentance ; and what presumption it 
is, to lie down and go to sleep, before we know 
that our peace is made with God. Consider, 
my friends, hoAV often do persons die in their 



sleep : then what must become of those who are 
not reconciled to their heavenly Father. We can- 
not be reconciled to our fellow creatures^ if we 
are not reconciled to our Grod. " He that loveth 
not his brotlier whom he hath seen, how can he 
love God whom he hath not seen ?" This shows 
that if we do not love our brother, we cannot 
love God. Look at the dreadful state into which 
we may plunge ourselves, by not coming for- 
ward to do the best we can for our fellow crea- 
tures. There is nothing but the power of love 
can bring about a victory over jealousy, which 
is more cruel than the grave. If there is jealou- 
sy in our minds concerning our brethren, we can 
not be the servants of God. No one that is 
watching for evil, can be serving him. But 
when we consider the excellency of the chris- 
tian religion — the beauty and excellency of it — 
are we not ready to shudder at the thought, that 
we commit so many great sins without any just 
reason why we should commit any sin. I speak 
my own experience ; for I never committed any 
sin, but because I loved it better than my God. 
I appeal to your own judgment, my friends — 
Does not our supreme love always determine ? 
If we commit any evil, we know that we love it 
more than we love our God. This is what makes 
us feel guilty: we should not feel guilty, if we did 
not know that we had done contrary to what we 
might have done. It is our own election, and by 



36 

our election, we must stand or fall ; for none can 
be God's elect, but those who choose Grod for 
then' portion. He has not foreordained a certain 
number to happiness. He cannot bring man to 
happiness by force; we must choose for ourselves. 
He has made us rational creatures, that we 
might improve under his power. Nothing can 
force us into happiness ; for force is the destruc- 
tion of all happiness. Do we not see it every 
where, where compulsion is made use of? 

As these things were brought to my mind, I 
have endeavoured to express tliem. May we car- 
ry them home, every individual of us — ^I wish 
to be one with you : for every day calls for dili- 
gence, watchfulness, and scrutiny into the feel- 
ings and temperament of our own minds. If we 
would search diligently by the candle of the 
Lord, every thing that creates pain would be ban- 
islied ; for no sin can come fi'om God Almighty ; 
it is all the creation of man. He being poor and 
impotent, he cannot create any thing that will en- 
dure for ever ; and if he will come to bear the Di- 
vine hand upon him, there is ^'balm in Gilead,'^ 
there is " a physician there.'' If we become sin- 
sick and turn about to this physician, and cease 
to do evil and learn to do well, he will lieal us 
of all our sins, and banish from us that which 
brings trouble and distress upon us. As in the 
outward sense, fevers bring distress upon the 
body : and how are they driven out by the skil- 



37 

ful pLysician^ and cast into the ocean of annihi- 
lation, and the man is restored to health! So 
if we come to the physician of souls, and follow 
the example of the sick man, and submit to his 
direction, our sins will all be annihilated. My 
dear friends, 1 consider that I am speaking to 
rational beings ; and Oh ! that you might, indi- 
vidually, with me, improve these great blessings. 
It is this that sets us above the beasts of the 
field, and if we do not improve, it is our own 
fault, and we must suffer the consequence. 

Although I apprehend, that my friends com- 
prehend and understand what I have said, so as 
not to put a wrong construction upon it, yet one 
thing has struck my mind, that it may be said, 
what will become of all those who are engaged 
as I have mentioned ? Are these all to be lost ? 
No, my friends. I believe in the mercy of a gra- 
cious God. We may remember what the apos- 
tle declared, that " Satan" — the name given to 
that tempting disposition in us, which is the man 
of sin, self, and self-will in man — there is no 
other man of sin that I ever knew or found. 
Now it was said that Satan would " transform 
himself into an angel of light," and, "if it were 
possible, deceive the very elect." Now all those 
who do not elect God to be their portion, are li- 
able to be deceived by anti-christ. But those 
who have elected him, are brought into a state 



ss 

of love aud coiilidence, which casts out all fear, 
Satan's head has been bruised and broken. 
There is a victory obtained over all the powers 
of darkness. They who have not elected God 
for their portion, they are in a state of probation. 
The Lord is looking upon them with propi- 
tious mercy, and is willing to help them. 

When we have been trying to find happiness 
in the things of sense, and find ourselves de- 
ceived and disappointed, then we are brought to 
repent of our sins, as Solomon did, and to count 
all vanity. ^^ Vanity of vanities, saith the 
preacher, all is vanity.'' They must come to it : 
this is my full belief. All these works that 
are going on in the will and power of man 
— these external things — must all be disap- 
pointed; and the sooner the better they are 
brought to see their vanity. For here they will 
recant the whole, like Solomon, who sums up all 
in this, ^^Fear God and keep his command- 
ments : for this is the whole duty of man." 

O, my friends, behold the most powerful and 
most merciful of all Beings ! — his love is over 
all. He not only forgives seven times, but se- 
venty times seven, and much more ; and, there- 
fore, graciously waits upon us till we have filled 
up our portion of Avickedness. Oh ! be warned to 
turn about, and seek a reconciliation with God. 
Elect him for your portion, in such a way, as to 
have no confidence in anv thins; else. 



SERMON III. 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS' WESTERN MEETING-HOUSE, IN 
THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, ON FOURTH DAY, IST OF 
TWELFTH MONTH, 1824. 

We often hear the expression that 'j a hh'd in 
the hand is worth two in the bush ;" and although 
this seems to be a maxim peculiar to the fowler, 
still it will apply to the conduct of the children 
of men generally. It embraces likewise, what 
is intended by the expression, that '' the present 
time only is ours.'' Although, the latter is not 
so correct ; because poor finite man cannot claim 
any moment as his own. He has no power to re- 
sist its progress, nor to command its motion. The 
moral of these, my Mends, is, to spurns on to the 
right improvement of the passing moments; for 
that is all that we can do, and all that is required 
of us to do. And how is this to be performed? 
By living and walking in the continual engage- 
ment of soul; and performing our duty to God 
our creator, and to man our fellow creature. This 
comprehends the whole business of man's life : 
and although we most of us agree with these 
short sentences, — yet, alas ! we as generally ne- 
glect an attention to them. We let the moments 
go out of our hands, without even recollecting 



40 

they are passing. We are putting off for a fu- 
ture time^ tliat which should be done instantane- 
ously ; to be done to-morrow, and to-morrow, — 
and to-morrow seldom comes. 

There are ten thousand times ten thousand 
ways, in which the children of men are walk- 
ing, different from the true way; for almost 
every rational creature has his own way. This 
is the case with every one whose way is not 
God's way, but who have ways of their own. 
There can be but one right way, among the 
many thousands ; — but one way that leads to life. 

A simile has presented itself to my mind, 
which appears to me very plain; and I have 
often been led to view this subject, like the lines 
drawn fix)m the centre of a circle. You know, 
my friends, that from the centre of a circle, 
thousands and tens of thousands of lines may be 
drawn, and yet they all vary a little, one from 
the other ; and notwithstanding, at the first set- 
ting out, the variation is hardly perceptible, in 
those nearest the true line, still among all these 
varied lines, there is but one that leads to the 
true centre where God is, and w here God only 
can be worshipped. And this is a strait and 
narrow way, to flesh and blood. It opposes the 
creature, in all his working will, — in all his in- 
dulgences, and his varied and many propensi- 
ties, and desu-es, to deviate from the true order. 
So that, although some may seem desirous of 



41 

walking in the straight path, yet they deviate 
for want of keeping in that self-abasement — in 
that state, in which they were created, and 
placed here, as creatures of God, to do his will 
only. 

We will have something of our own ; and let 
this be never so small a matter, it is like the 
next line to the true one, and leads off wider 
and wider till it becomes considerable, at a more 
advanced period of it. 

So it is, my friends, we love to profess ; — we 
love the name of things, better than the sub- 
stance. How often have I observed, the small 
term, religion, made use of for very vicious 
purposes : and how many thousands there are, 
who make a profession, and yet know not what 
it means. They have no true sense of what was 
intended, by those who gave it-that term. It is the 
tie which unites the soul of man to its maker ; 
and therefore it consists wholly and completely, 
in the full self-abasement of the creature, with- 
out attempting to judge for himself; but waiting 
to know the will of Grod concerning him, — and 
then to do it. As this becomes the concern of 
our minds, my friends, we begin to understand 
the term and what it means. 

The righteous God loveth righteousness ; and 
would lead all his rational creation, in the way 
of it ; the straight and narrow way that leads to 
him and eternal life. But, under the term of 



42 

religion, bow many are walking in utter dark- 
ness ! How many are walking in all the de- 
vious paths that I have mentioned ! It may be, 
that all but one of the ten thousand, are devia- 
ting a little from the true way, some more and 
some less, till they come round the whole cir- 
cle. Some are in direct opposition to the right 
way ; direct antipodes. As you know, that from 
the centre of a circle, two lines may be drawn 
one directly opposite to the other. 

Let me explain a little. I consider those, who 
make a great profession of religion, but who un- 
dertake to learn it by the letter ; — who undertake 
to learn it in schools of science and seminaries 
of learning, these are those who stand the anti- 
podes of the ti'ue way, and in direct opposition 
to the will of God their creator: for they begin, 
as our first parents did, by turning aside from 
Grod. Tliey began, by attempting to climb up 
into the tree of knowledge, and to partake of the 
fruit, and to judge for themselves in opposition 
to their Creator, as if they had a right to judge 
for themselves. And what can be more unjust 
than to presume, to act any thing out of the will 
of our Creator, preserver, and blesser. Here is 
the first act ; and a great act of injustice indeed 
it is. For we find by the testimony of the Scrip- 
tures, from what this temptation arose. It arose 
from a desire after knowledge, which is stamped 
upon the immortal soul of man. It was requisite, 



48 

that the Creator should stamp this deske upon 
the soul, that man should have a desire after 
right knowledge. He not only impressed that 
desire upon the rational soul of his creature man; 
but at the same time limited the desire, and set 
bounds to it. He fixed it with bounds, like the 
sands of the sea shore, where all its billows 
were to be stopped. One of the boundaries was^ 
that he should not climb up into the tree of 
knowledge, — not presume to learn any thing 
himself, but wait to be instructed by God his 
creator ; because all was comprehended in him. 
He was not to demand or require it, but wait to 
receive it in Grod^s own blessed way. 

Oh! that we might understand the scrip- 
tures as we read ! But we cannot understand 
them, only as we dwell in the light. If we 
dwell in the light, here it is that we can read 
them as we ought to read them. Here man can 
see whereby he became a transgressor, by devi- 
ating from the Divine command, and attempting 
to obtain knowledge through an improper medi- 
um. The temptation having inspired a degree 
of desire, beyond right bounds, hereby it was 
that w^e transgressed, by eating of the tree of 
knowledge, and becoming as Gods, knowing 
good and evil for ourselves. Therefore, we 
have no need to be under the control of the Cre- 
ator any longer. We have the control of our- 
selves as men and creatures, in our fallen and 



44 

separated state from the divine harmony. Here 
now^ this is plain to every one of us. 

Well, what have we to do^ my friends ? We 
are to turn back again. And what mercy he has 
manifested to us individually, in our own souls. 
We need not go to books nor to men ; for he 
that made us, is graciously with us. " He 
dwelleth not in temples made with hands, nei- 
ther is he worshipped by men's hands. For in 
him Ave live, and move, and have our being ;'' 
and therefore, he is ever present, and is always 
willing, when we are prepared to receive, to 
communicate intelligence, and to instruct in Di- 
vine wisdom, as far and as fast as Ave can bear 
it. He knows the Aveakness of our frames ; — 
he knoAvs Avhat strength is in us, and therefore 
deals out according to our ability to receive. All 
that is to be done on our part, is to remain pas- 
sive—to knoAV ourselves, like the meal, ground 
doAvn to poAvder, as it were ; having no power of 
our own ; haAing nothing at our own control, 
not even a moment of time. Yet the passing 
moments are given to us, that Ave may be ahvays 
in a state of improvement, if we will keep un- 
der right exercise. All that we have to do, is 
to keep every desu^ regulated by the standard 
of truth ; and as we keep up this engagement, 
we are improving the moments as they pass. 
Here our improvement is all entered for us upon 
the credit side ; we are made creditors for our 



45 

right improvement. So, on the contrary, if we 
neglect the proper improvement, it is placed to 
the debtor side. It is a common maxim, and a 
good one, that "short reckonings make long 
friends.^' If it was only our care every day of 
our lives, to look over the actions of the day, 
and see how our accounts stand with our Crea= 
tor, how greatly should we be benefitted by this 
. self-examination ! 

Would not a prudent book keeper, if he did 
right, bring up his debt and credit every night, 
that he might know how things stood ? Then 
how much more so, in the business of salvation, 
ought we to endeavour to improve every moment 
of the passing time, from day to day, and never 
let an evening pass over, without looking over, 
and turning over the leaf, to see where the ba- 
lance would strike, whether in favour or against. 
If it be against us, let us double our diligence 
the succeeding day, to retrieve our lost time. 
Let us strive to have a balance in our favour 
from season to season, and from day to day. If 
this were our concern — although we were not 
joined in society, with any profession of religion 
— were these our engagements, all would be 
well; all these would become one, and make 
that society, which is the only militant church 
on eaiih. However scattered, they would feel 
for one another, and whenever they passed by 
one another, they would be impressed by the 



46 

one spiiit to become one body, and made to drink 
into the one spirit. 

This 1 call religion : but I consider no pro- 
fession of religion, to be religion at all. 

There is another way in which it may be di- 
vided into a thousand parts : — that is, by de- 
pending &a the labours of our fore-fathers — de- 
pending on the labours of our friends, not con- 
cerned to do our own work faitlifullv.*^^*^**- 
Because, why. my friends ? When we reflect as 
wise men and women, and look back to past ages, 
we discover, that it was a long time before man so 
far deviated as to go down into that state of total 
darkness : as we read in the scriptures, ^^ death 
reigned from x^dam to Moses.'' That is, deatli 
reigned over all the children of men from the 
time they entered into Adam's state, by doing as 
he did, in eating of the tree — by climbing up 
into the tree of knowledge, and presuming to 
take for themselves. Death reigned from that 
time down to the gi^'ing of the law by Moses, 
and the covenant to Israel. So it has been 
with everv individual of us. Death has reisnied 
from Adam, in every one of our souls, till the 
Lord Almighty, by his light and grace, struck 
up a law in our souls — a light that discovers the 
darkness. Have we not kno^Mi it in a degree ? 
But have we been faithful ? Not more so, I ap- 
prehend, than Israel. They had a simple law 
suited to theb degraded state ; and how soon 



47 

they deviated! — and how easy was it for them to 
comply ! And what would have been their por- 
tion, had they been faithful? The fruits of a 
good outward land. It was an external cove- 
nant, and therefore, their reward was outward 
and external. 

Now we are called with a more holy calling. 
We are called to a new covenant dispensation, in 
which the law of light unfolds itself in our souls, 
and gives us a sense of our desolate condition. 
If we love the light, let us bring our deeds to the 
light, that they may be reproved ; that it may 
be manifested Avhether they are wrought of God. 
This is the work of God to his creature man ; 
and this is the sole business of man on earth ; 
for it is only as he attends to the law of life that 
he understands to do the will of his heavenly Fa- 
ther, and his duty to his fellow creature. This 
law and spirit of life in Christ Jesus, it teaches 
a morality, that the outward law never taught — 
a morality which stands in the power of the Ho- 
ly One — by which we are taught our dutyjto God 
our creator, and to man our fellow creature ; 
which, we are conscious, none can do, but by 
the aid and power of the wisdom of God — his 
light and life in our souls. Therefore, for the 
want of coming into this, they remain in the old 
letter, " eye for eye, railing for railing, stripe for 
stripe, and life for life.'' But see now, Avhen 
we come into the gospel state what is taught in- 



48 



stead of retaliation ; ^^ resist not evil ; if any one 
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the 
other also : And if any man will sue thee at the 
law and take away thy coat, let him have thy 
cloak also." Now this is a law that we do not 
love, nor cannot, as long as we are selfish crea- 
tures. As long as we prize ourselves above our 
neighbours, we cannot come up to the golden 
rule : we cannot love our neighbours as ourselves, 
till we come under the control and influence of 
this divine law , which is full of life, full of light, 
and full of power to enable the soul to perform 
all that the Almighty requires of it. 

Let us turn our back upon all letter religion — 
turn right about: for those who are seeking reli- 
gion out of books, in colleges and schools, they 
are antipodes, — in direct opposition to God Al- 
mighty, and his ways : and so in proportion, 
as we are more or less in the letter, we deviate 
from the true line. How many are there who 
have not come to the direct point? Here it is, 
that death reigns, and darkness covers the soul 
of man, while we are seeking Heaven by our 
own understanding, and by our creaturely sci- 
ence; by the writings and experience of good 
men in former ages. Yet the letter of the scrip- 
tures condemns them : they are going in direct 
opposition to all their testimony. This is evi- 
dent, when we attend to the conclusive argu- 
ment of the apostle of the Gentiles ; who thus 



49 

exclaimed, ^^ eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which Grod hath prepared for them that 
love him. But God hath revealed them unto us 
by his Spirit : for the Spirit searcheth all things, 
yea the deep things of God. For what man 
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of 
man which is in him ? even so, the things of God 
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.'' 

Will we, then, in opposition to this argument, 
presume to say that the Spirit of God is in the 
letter ; that we can be taught the Spirit of God 
by the letter. The letter is nothing but an ef- 
fect, it is not any cause. We must come back 
to that self- existent principle which was before 
all things — which created all things. We must 
come back to that God in our own souls, dvvell- 
ing in us ; for Jesus declares " the kingdom of 
God is within you,'' not out of you, but in the 
secret of our own souls. But he only in his own 
pleasure makes himself manifest. When the 
creature waits in humble prostration, then it is 
that he comes forth in the power of his majesty, 
to mollify the soul, and to bring it into humilia- 
tion. Now it wants only a moment to see, that 
all Christendom are going in direct opposition 
to the scriptures ; there is not a soul of them hard- 
ly going right, — speaking in a general way ; but 
I trust, that as formerly, there may be here one 
and there one — one of a family and two of a 

G 



50 

tribe. But alas, alas ! must we not all, more or 
less, plead guilty. We are out of the true path 
— we are out of the true line. There is some- 
thing of self remaining; and as long as it remains 
we are out of the true way, and as we go on, 
we shall be farther and farther from it. I there- 
fore, call on you, my friends, in love ; and I am 
willing to take part with you — ^I am willing to 
plead guilty among you, that there has not been 
a coming up to the law which Christ Jesus re- 
quires of us, that enters us into the narrow gate ; 
a strait gate, and naiTow way. Well how are we 
to get back ? The way is plain and simple, we 
don't want to go to colleges, to schools, to books, 
or to men. We must never look for the way 
without us. '' I am the way, the truth, and the 
life," Jesus declared, when he was outward- 
ly present as a teacher and Messiah to Israel. 
They did not look any higher. He was their 
director, their saviour. He it was, that saved 
them from their outward sicknesses. He was 
only an outward saviour that healed their out- 
ward diseases, and gave them strength of body, 
to enjoy that outward good land. This was a fi- 
gure of the great Comforter, which he would 
pray the Father to send them ; an inward one, 
that would heal all the diseases of their souls, 
and cleanse them from all their inward pollu- 
tions : that thing of God, that thing of eternal 
life. It was the soul that wanted salvation : but 



51 

this DO outward saviour could do? no external 
saviour could have any hand in it. It was alto- 
gether inward; for as God is a spirit invisible to 
all our external senses, he is incomprehensi- 
ble to all rational creatures. The work must be 
by some secret thing in the soul, and every one 
to whom it is communicated has a soul in which 
it dwells. Therefore, as the law was given to 
Israel — they were all servants to Pharaoh in 
Egypt. Their outward law was one, their sal- 
vation one, their deliverer one, outwardly saving 
them from outward bondage who believed in him. 
The law of the spirit of life in me, is not the 
law of the spirit of life in my brother or sister, 
whose bondage here may be different, or differs 
from mine. We, therefore, each require a pe- 
culiar law to ourselves, as that was a peculiar 
law to that people, and to no others. Here, this 
was a type of the inward divine law, under the 
new covenant dispensation; when it shall no 
longer be said to a neighbour, " know the Lord, 
for all shall know me, from the least of them to 
the greatest'' of them. Therefore, we must not 
look for a law that has been in another man's 
mind ; that would be no law to us. If any part 
of our experience, when we attend to the law writ- 
ten in our own hearts, is similar to what a bro 
ther or sister has experienced, there may be en- 
couragement and confirmation derived from their 
experience. But the Lord is too kind, to send 



52 

us away for instruction. He is every where pre- 
sent, a schoolmaster to every soul. 

And why does he raise up teachers ? some 
may say. The reason is plain ; — although the let- 
ter has dkected us to that law, and nothing else 
can teach us, we flee from it ; and therefore, he 
is raising up instruments, outwardly, and cloth- 
ing them with power, who are willing to give up 
their lives for his testimony sake, and his cause 
sake, and for the sake of their beloved fellow 
creatures. These do not call them to themselves, 
but home to the pure w^itness in their own souls. 
We know that God Almighty has placed a wit- 
ness in every soul, to witness for him, and to be 
a light and a leader. Therefore, all that we 
can do, is to bring to your recollection, that there 
is a place where you can flee to — that we may 
all partake of the life that was in Jesus Christ, 
for " in him was life and the life was the light 
of men." 

Therefore, it is testified by these words that 
the true light is dispensed to every rational crea- 
ture, in proportion to what the Almighty re- 
quires of him. He had it in the fulness — all that 
was necessary for him to complete the work 
which he had to do. But he could have nothing 
superfluous : for it cannot be supposed that the 
Almighty Jehovah, deals in superfluities to any 
of his rational creation. But he dispenses to 
every man a proportion designed to enable him 



53 

to fill up and complete his work according to the 
will of his heavenly Father. 

Now, so long as we keep aloof from this prin- 
ciple in our own souls, we are alienated from 
God ; and are travelling on in some of the devi- 
ous paths which lead away from the true one. 
Let us lay aside every sin that so easily besets 
us ; — let us turn to the divine light and Com- 
forter in our own souls. His ways are plain, 
and we cannot misunderstand him. It is only 
a light from Heaven, that can show us the way 
to Heaven. He is truth, and he is light ; and, 
therefore, he it is, that is to be our teacher ; — 
'' He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." 
Why then do we make images ? For should we 
at any time, form an image of that power that is 
to be our saviour and deliverer, we become idol- 
ators ; we centre in idolatry, as much as those 
who worship idols of gold. 

Oh ! that men of science might be aware what 
a curse they are to the inhabitants of the earth ; 
what a great curse. But they will not believe 
it till they turn to this Comforter — this Spirit of 
truth that leads into all truth. 

The apostle who was brought up at the feet 
of Gamaliel, was instructed in all the know- 
ledge that was taught in his days — except the 
heathen sciences, which it is likely were forbid- 
den in great measure, — and yet he had to count 
it all as dross and dung, that he might win a 



54 



better thing— that he might win Christ-— win 
that anointing, which means Christ; that di- 
vine anointing, tlie unction the apostle speaks 
of : '' Ye have an unction from the Holy One, 
and ye need not that any man teach you: 
but as the same anointing teaches you all things, 
and is truth, and is no lie.'' Human sci- 
ence may not be altogether fruitless, it may be 
of some use in the present state ; and yet it is a 
matter of great doubt to me, whether it does 
not shut up the way to higher knowledge. It 
iscems to limit the Holy One. For although 
he is continually with us, we must go to look in 
books of science and morality, to know what his 
will is respecting us, and our duty to him and to 
our fellow creatures. 

Is there any morality in all the books of mo- 
rality which will enable us to do our duty ? No, 
there is no such thing. All the moral laws on 
earth fall short of helping us to do our duty to 
God and to our fellow creatures : and they will 
remain inadequate ; because, if they do not, they 
will take away the lionour from God, and attri- 
bute it to the creature. He that made man 
know s man, and can teach him his duty better 
than man can know it, by any search in all the 
books of religion and morality. They all lead 
men into a labyrinth, till they frequently cannot 
tell which way to get out again ; a labyrinth by 
w^hich they are lost. Oh ! that we might come 



55 

to a right view of the divine cliaracter 1 — ^that we 
might come to believe what we profess to be- 
lieve ; that God is perfectly wise in his works, 
infinite in wisdom, in justice, in mercy, and in 
goodness : and that every thing excellent is com- 
bined in the Holy One, and that the Holy One 
is manifested in every rational soul. All science, 
all knowledge is comprehended in that Holy 
One. 

And here his light is in all of us, and our du- 
ty is clearly manifested to us without the aid of 
books or men. Shall we, then, go out to them 
to learn our duty ? No, God forbid, that we 
should act so inconsistent a part ! Let us try this 
thing a little, and see if we are not casting an 
indignity upon the Almighty, to suppose that we 
are to go about in search of an instructer in the 
things of morality and religion. As to our me- 
chanical things, and other useful sciences, a suit- 
able attention to them may be proper : but to go 
to schools of science to learn morality — to learn 
the ways of wisdom, it is casting an indignity 
on him, as we centre back into the state of the 
Gentile nations. They considered that God had 
so departed from them that he was not known at 
all, and so they worshipped unknown Gods. 

So now, to what but an unknown God do 
Christendom direct their worship at the present 
day? 

Can man by his learning, be supposed to 
know God ? Can he be supposed to know how 



56 

to worship him when he sets out to study it out 
©f his own brain ? It is a worship to unknown 
Gods ; because they are not in the light and spi- 
rit, but in the letter. Self reigns and rules : it 
is merely for popularity and aggrandizement; 
the popularity and praise of men ; like the high 
professors of old. All their works were done to 
be seen of men. Then let us beware ; let us 
sink deep into ourselves. For if holy Job, who 
had been living such a righteous life before the 
Almighty, could bear such testimony concerning 
himself, he could not have arrived at that per- 
fection, of which he was capable ; for when he 
came to behold the most high, he cast himself 
down and abased himself. 

Oh ! that this might be our lot, and I am per- 
suaded by the light, that if Christendom were 
brought to see God as they ought, they would 
be led to abhor themselves. Oh ! that the Al- 
mighty might rise with his power, and give us a 
sense of these things ; and give us an engaged- 
ness to rally to the standard, and leave all these 
hypocritical things in religion. Let us come to 
be children again ; we must come to it. We 
have gone out of the child's state, we have sin- 
ned and come short of the glory of God. We 
must tread back our steps ; there is no cross road : 
though the lines seem so nigh together, it will 
not do to step over from one to the other. 
This will be man's way. We must go back 
to the point from which we started — to the 



57 

place where Jehovah has placed us in our first 
state, when we came innocent out of his holy 
hands. 

We have departed from this state, and we 
must go back to it ; we must come to that child- 
like state, where we shall have no contrivance 
or judgment of our own : for even Jesus, our 
pattern, in his humiliation, his judgment was ta- 
ken away. So it must be with us, when we are 
brought to that child's state, under humiliation, 
from a sense of our sins : our judgments must 
be taken away, and we must wait for him to be 
our G od, our teacher, and our king — receiving all 
from his mouth. 

And thus, all those who have but one leader, 
and one guide, are united in one holy bond, they 
feel one another in it, however they may be scat- 
tered ; and it is those who will make up the in- 
numerable multitude from all nations, tongues, 
and kindreds. None but those who have gone 
back to this child-like state, and put off the old 
man with his deeds, and crucified the man of sin 
and son of perdition — in whom self has become 
annihilated, can be brought to a condition, in 
Avhich they can love their neighbours as them- 
selves, and pray to God for them with a sincere 
desire and love. 

This is the only way ; and when this is the 
case, all will be peace and good will among men ; 
because wars will cease; the root will be dug 

H 



58 

out. tt is now the time^ that the axe should be 
laid to the root of the tree : for every branch 
that bringeth not forth good fruit, must be hewn 
down, and cast into the fire. Can it be a good 
tree that supports contention? It cannot be a 
good tree, and therefore it must be cut down. Can 
it be a good tree that excites a spirit of retalia- 
tion ? It cannot be good ; it must be cut down by 
the gospel axe. All war, and the spirit of it, 
must be annihilated. If it stands in selfishness, 
it is not a creature of God ; for sin is nothing of 
his creation. Man has created all the evil in 
the world; he is the author of it all; and when 
he is willing to give it all up to the hammer and 
Avord of God, it will be annihilated and cast out 
into the ocean of oblivion. Oh ! that every soul 
might witness this ; that every species of selfish- 
ness might be rooted out and burnt up by the 
fire of divine love, so as to be entirely annihila- 
ted ; for until then, we cannot love our neighbour 
as ourselves, and our creator above all. This is 
a great truth : ^^ If a man say, I love God, and 
liateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that lov- 
eth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can 
he love God whom he hath not seen ?^^ He that 
learns his nature can see God and know him : 
but till self is eradicated from individuals and 
from societies, they cannot love God. He will 
not commune with us face to face, agreeably with 
that view of the prophet, ^^ Cease to do evil, 



59 

learn to do well, relieve the oppressed, plead for 
the widow :'^ Then, and not till then, " come 
and let us reason together, saitli the Lord: 
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow ; though they be red like crim- 
son, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing 
and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land ; 
but if ye refuse and rebel," the consequence is 
fatal. 

It seems as though I could not avoid speaking 
of the wonderful deliverance which we shall ex- 
perience, if we attain to this love and good will 
toward one another. How soon we can then 
calculate the bondage and fruitless labour which 
we are now doing to support war, to make instru- 
ments of war, and preparations for defence. 
What cruel oppression and bondage! Here, 
now, if we come into the spirit of the gospel we 
shall " beat our swords into ploughshares, and 
our spears into pruning hooks :" we shall not 
lift up sword against one another, nor learn war 
any more. See what a wonderful deliverance 
this will be ! But when we turn to these semi- 
naries of learning, what do we discover ? War 
is a cruel scourge ; but I was almost a mind to 
say, that priest-craft is a more cruel scourge. 
See what a burden it is, and what toil is requir- 
ed to support it ! It is that which leads to wars 
and tumults, in a great measure : it is that which 



60 

creates the spirit of war. We see ministers 
of the same profession, in contending armies, 
venture to pray to the same God for the suc- 
cess of their arms. How hateful the view! 
How can we shut our eyes to such inconsist- 
encies! Can we suppose it possible, that the 
God of wisdom will ever listen to the prayers of 
such creatures as these, who dare thus venture 
(o raise theii- voices to him ! God forbid ; — it is 
casting the greatest indignity upon him that man 
is capable of doing. Oh ! let us learn, by the 
things we suffer. My soul travails with a desire 
for my fellow creatures. Oh ! may we look to 
these things : may we apply it individually. It 
must be done by individuals ; for individuals 
make nations, and nations carry on war ; and 
by the labour and exercise of individuals, Avar 
must be put an end to. Are we not all impeach- 
able — are we not worthy of being scourged, for 
the part we have taken, in the oppression of our 
fellow creatures ? Thousands and tens of thou- 
sands have been forbid the enjoyment of every 
good thing on earth, even of common school- 
learning ; and must it still be so ? God forbid 
it. But this would be a trifle, if they had 
the privilege of rational beings on the earth: 
that liberty which is the greatest of all bless- 
ings,— the exercise of free agency. And here 
we are glutting ourselves with the toils of their 
labour ! 



61 

Let us all lay this to heart ; let us, individual- 
ly, come up to the principle of perfect justice, 
'' Cease to do evil and learn to do well, plead for 
the widow, relieve the oppressed;" and we shall 
do tenfold more than all the governments of the 
earth, toward putting an end to slavery and op- 
pression. 

But this noble testimony, of refusing to par- 
take of the spoils of oppression, lies with the 
dearly beloved young people of this day. We 
can look for but little from the aged, who have 
been accustomed to these things. 

I can look back and remember well, when one 
among my brethren, I laboured to put an end to 
this slavery ; and what hard work it was to 
convince the aged. How unwilling they were to 
comply with any thing but that which they had 
been long inured to, and which had become 
to them like second nature. They looked back 
and saw, that good men before them had done the 
same thing ; and, said they, shall we think to be 
better than they were. This was for the want of 
considering, that such was the darkness of the 
children of men, that no one generation has ar- 
rived at perfection. There is as much to be done 
by each generation, as has been done by the one 
which preceded it : because in the same propor- 
tion as we advance in reformation, the way is 
open for greater advancement. The primitive 
disciples were far from a state of perfection, 



62 

otherwise an apostacy could not have entered. 
They were brought out of darkness, as far as 
their case would admit. So with our primitive 
Friends, they did their day's work faithfully ; but 
how far short did they come ! Therefore, if we 
rest in their labours we are going back ; for eve- 
ry generation has a work to do, in addition to 
the previous one. If we do nothing more, we 
spend our time in vain. 

Oh ! may we be aroused to faithfulness, and 
not look back or forward beyond the light. 
Keep close up to it ; keep close to Grod, and he 
will lead us on in righteousness, by which we 
shall be enabled to strengthen one another's 
hands, and rejoice together in love, and thank 
him and take courage, who is over all God bless- 
ed for ever. 



SERMON IV. 



DELIVERED AT FRlENDS' MEETING-HOUSE, GREEN STREET, 
PHILADELPHIA, ON 5th DAY, SECOND OF TWELFTH MONTH, 
1824. 

Man is made for society. This is not only 
evident from the nature of man in all ages and 
nations, but it is self evident to the compre- 
hension of every rational being; as from our 
childhood we discover, that it is not good for man 
to dwell alone. Should any one presume to 
have an entire independence of his fellow men, 
and live by himself, standing aloof from all soci- 
ability and intercourse with others, he must be 
one of the most unhappy creatures upon the face 
of the earth. Even the trees of the wood would 
exceed him 5 for, by their branches, which inter- 
twine, they defend one another from the storms 
that surround them. Now, if this be the case, 
my friends, that the divine wisdom has made 
and constituted us social beings, then certain ob- 
ligations will attach to us individually, and 
strictly, as it regards one another ; and these ob- 
ligations must be mutually fixed upon an equal- 
ity, coincident with our equal standing in this 
state of being. 

For we have but one common Creator; and he 



64 

has made of oue flesh and blood, all the families 
that dwell upon the face of the earth. He never 
could have designed, that there should be any 
superiority among the childi-en of men. wliich 
should set one above another. For as he was 
theh' universal Creator, so he w as their common 
Creator, and he intended to be their common 
Father, and that we all should be brethren to- 
gether. Even as Jesus declared to his disciples, 
who were looking up to him a^ their only teach- 
er, ^' Ye have but one master, and all ye are 
brethren." Now in order to support tliis social 
intercoui'se, and to maintain it upon its right 
ground, so that we may be mutually happy to- 
2:ether : there is but one wav for us to do. — but 
one w ay in which it can be effected : and that 
is, for us, equally alike, every one of us, to re- 
collect, that we have but one common Creator, 
and that if we are bom again of God, we must 
have one common Father. 

It was never designed by the Almighty, that 
there should be kings and arbitrary governors 
among the children of men. These things are the 
effect of man's transsression : thev all arise out 
of the fall of man. TTe see how hateful it was, 
in the sight of the Most High, when Israel re- 
jected him as their leader and commander, and 
desired a king, that they might be like the na- 
tions of the earth who had fallen away from God. 
They were many minded, and wanted to view 



65 

the blessedness of that glorified state, that Al- 
mighty Groodiiess had intended for liis creature 
man in the creation. How my spirit is boAved 
in sorrow, at viewing the present state of man ; 
so very far distant is he from that state. Had 
he been faithful to the divine command ; had he 
been always Avilling to be taught of God ; then, 
that which only makes society comfortable — 
makes society happy to us, would have been 
preserved to us continually, through all ages and 
generations. That is, perfect unity and perfect 
love: For those who dwell in God, dwell in 
love, and are preserved in unity ; a unity that 
nothing can disturb but our own misconduct. 

Well now, my dear friends, consider the de- 
sign of all these religious meetings, and all our 
religious exercises ; they are to bring us back to 
a sight of our wretched condition, and to lead 
us to search for our eternal good : and this must 
be an individual work, we cannot do it one for 
another. No one can save his brother, nor give 
a ransom for his soul. No man can give his 
brother faith or belief that can do him any good. 
We must receive it from God, or it will be worth 
nothing ; and, therefore, as we are all equalj 
when we rightly consider the subject, we can- 
not presume to have any right or authority one 
over another, to impose upon another a belief 
or any thing like it. We must leave all to the 
Lord. 



66 

Well^ then, what is it that is to preserve us in 
this state ? The same that preserved our great 
pattern, in the innocent life, in which he was 
created and brought forth, taking a part of our 
common nature, and an earthly body. I say 
there is nothing that can bring us to this, nor 
preserve us in a right state and condition, but 
that wliicli preserved him; and of which we 
have so clear an account, in the history of his 
life and mission. In his childhood, he was per- 
fect in innocency ; — free from all kinds of defile- 
ment, as man w as created in the beginning, and 
so it might have been, A^dth all that God created, 
as the scripture declaration proves. They were 
made innocent, undefiled, and unpolluted : but 
without knowledge, and without any capacity to 
obtain knowledge through any other medium 
than their Creator. They were endowed with a 
capacity to receive it from him, as a teacher, but 
no capacity to obtain true knowledge indepen- 
dently of their Creator. 

This I consider to be the state of man in the 
beginning ; and of every child when born into 
the world. 

God said, " let us make man in our own im- 
age, in our own likeness.'' xlnd how was he 
made ? As to his animal form and frame, he was 
made of the dust of the earth ; '' for dust thou 
art, and unto dust thou shalt return." Now, 
this was in relation to his animal body, which is 



67 

composed of the dust, and to dust returns, as is 
self-evident to all of us. 

But wherein was he constituted the image of the 
Holy One? He placed in this animal body a por- 
tion of his own spirit ; for there is but one-self- ex- 
isting Spirit : eternal and self- existing, compre- 
hends all power, all wisdom, all goodness ; and 
every thing must be attributed to him by man. 
And, therefore, to be in the image of God, we 
must partake of his own nature; — and have a por- 
tion of his own blessed spirit, to animate the soul 
and make it immortal, as God is immortal. Here 
we see him having the sole control of the body ; 
and, therefore, the body was made in a beauti- 
ful shape, and stood erect upon the earth. The 
soul was within, and the body was subject 
to it; — it acted no part which was not con- 
sistent with the divine will. Every act must 
have been righteous. As man was made in the 
image of God, every act would be a righteous 
act. But from this happy state man fell — from 
this blessed condition, we all fell — for all have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God ; 
and, therefore, stand in need of being born 
again. 

Here we find, from the testimony of the scrip- 
tures, that the child Jesus, grew in stature, and 
in favour with God and man ; " and the grace 
of God was upon him.'' And what was this 
grace, my friends ? Why the apostle tells us. 



68 

'' ill him was life, and tlie life was the light of 
men;" and ^^that was the true light, which 
lighteth every man that cometh into the world.'' 
All then, have received grace : all have received 
a portion of the light of God in their souls, as 
without it, none could answer the end of their 
creation : every one, according to the measure 
that God was pleased to dispense to him. And 
he will always do it in equal justice ; just in pro- 
portion to the need of the creature, to effect the 
end of his creation ; for he has a just balance 
and weight for every thing ; therefore, all is ad- 
justed in his infinite wisdom, by his power and 
goodness. 

Here now, we hear nothing of the child Je- 
sus, till he was thirty years of age ; when he 
appeared unfolding tlie righteous law of that dis- 
pensation, and finishing all the outward sha- 
dows. He declared, " one jot or one tittle shall 
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfil- 
led.'^ He now had fulfilled it, when he went 
into the last institute of liis Father belonging 
to that outward, shadowy dispensation ; and 
hereby lie justified his heavenly Father, in giving 
the law and covenant to Israel ; although they 
had broken it, and deviated so far from it. Here 
it was proved self- evidently clear, that they 
might liave obeyed and complied with it. Here 
we see by this, he had conferred a portion of 
grace upon every one, sufficient to enable them 



69 

to fulfil the law. It is impossible to suppose, 
that the Almighty Goodness should have given a 
law to us, wiiich it was not in our power to per- 
form. This we cannot conceive ; because he is 
righteous in all his ways, and just in all his works 
toward the children of men. Here we learn, 
what was man's duty in the beginning. Here we 
learn how he might have effected the end of his 
creation, without transgression. We have it in 
the example of the child Jesus, born of the vir- 
gin Mary, and clothed with a body of flesh and 
blood, and like us, endowed with an immortal 
spirit : for nothing can become a son, or a child 
of God, but a rational, an immortal spirit. We 
learn nothing of any being sons of God, who 
are not thus born of God, through his life-giving 
presence in the soul. This is confirmed, by the 
experience of former ages ; and we have it ex- 
pressed in the testimony of the apostle of the 
Gentiles : '' For as many as are led by the spi- 
rit of God, they are the sons of God.'' Here 
now, we see, Jesus was made lower than the an- 
gels ; having a fleshly body, that could suffer 
death upon the earth : and here we see him liv- 
ing a holy life, through the operation of the spi- 
rit of God in his soul. When he had fulfilled 
the law, and completed the work of that dispen- 
sation ; and as he came up out of the water, the 
Holy spirit descended upon him like a dove. 



70 

Here he Avas prepared for a greater inissiou ; 
for a more evangelical, a more righteous, and a 
more holy dispensation — to do away the old law 
and bring in a new corenant and law. The 
former being outward, external, and carnal ; the 
latter being inward and spiritual. The first, 
having the law written upon tables of stone out- 
wardly, and open to the external view of the 
animal man. The second written upon the heart, 
and invisible to all the external senses of the 
creature man. It cannot be read through any 
external medium. He was now prepared to re- 
ceive this additional power, which is necessary 
for every one before he can become the ti'ue 
child of God ; as nothing but being led by the 
spirit of God, can make a son of God. 

The first buth was a created birth ; the last 
was a birth of love, of union : and it was a birtli 
©f communion, by the soul entering into a mar- 
riage covenant, with the Lord its God. This is 
the way in which the new birth is brought about. 
The soul must enter into a covenant with the 
Lord Almighty ; and become as a wife, always 
subject to her heavenly husband, and always 
under his direction. This we see, by the parable 
of Jesus Christ concerning the kingdom of God. 
*• Behold the kingdom of God is v, ithin you." 
It is the holy descending of the life of God in the 
soul ; — God is always in his kingdom, that is in 
the soul ; and although contained in a small com- 



71 

pass, it is like a little seed, a small seed, invisi- 
ble to the outward and external senses ; and dis- 
covered only by the soul ; and when the soul is 
animated by divine light, it begins to feel the 
stirring of this divine seed. It may be so very 
small, as to be scarcely discovered, unless we 
are very attentive to its operation ; and we may 
be led to reason as Nathaniel did concerning 
Jesus : " Can any good thing come out of Na- 
zareth?'^ Can this little manifestation be of 
any value to us ? Oh, yes ! we mast acknow- 
ledge, — we shall be compelled to acknowledge 
its mighty power in one day. If we will not 
bow to it in mercy, we must bow to it in judg- 
ment. It is like a light to the soul which quick- 
ens it ; and which nothing else can do. It brings 
the evidence with it, and strikes up a liglit in 
the soul. Although it may in the first view point 
only to a single transgression ; yet that which it 
does point to, is not lost sight of, because it 
brings an evidence, so that the soul cannot rise 
up and escape. It feels guilty, and stands con- 
victed of its guilt ; because it knows by the light 
that shines in it, that it might have done right, 
when it has done wrong. Nothing else can 
make an immortal soul feel guilty at all, but an 
absolute knowledge, that it has transgressed 
against this light, this kingdom of God in itself. 
And here, as we are prepared for it, so in pro- 
portion shall we grow in grace. And if we are 



72 

faithful to the beginning of grace in the heart, we 
shall grow in grace and in the saving knowledge 
of God. 

This, every true believer, every true child of 
God knows by every day's experience ; and here 
as we attain to this, it leads us on till we fulfil 
our duty to our fellow creatures. This is the 
first table ; because if we do not love one another, 
we cannot love God, nor know him. 

Therefore the first stirrings of grace leads us 
to feel what we are ; to feel our sympathies, our 
antipathies, and our duties to one another, which 
the sense of our society with one another, brings 
upon us. The sense that we are social beings, 
here attaches to us. Here the Lord begins with 
us as with children. Yea, such is his mercy that 
" a bruised reed he will not break, and the smok- 
ing flax he will not quench : till he brings forth 
judgment unto truth.'' Yea, and the obedient 
" Isles shall wait for his law." 

Oh I that we might gather to this eternal princi- 
ple — this seed of God in our own souls; it would 
give us all power to accomplish every purpose 
that God intended for his creature man. Oh ! 
how it will grow, as Jesus has so beautifully 
pointed out in the parable. We must all become 
passive : for unless we become passive, this seed 
of God, this light of God which is alive in man, 
can never enliven us, or change our foul nature. 
For unless we are thus passive, it is not in the 



.73 

God of our salvation to force us into happiness. 
The very term shows an inconsistency, that no 
rational mind can agree w^ith : because no free 
agent creature can be forced into happiness, by 
any power in heaven or in earth. No, he leads ; 
he invites ; he intreats; he waits long, to be gra- 
cious to the children of men. He renews his 
visitation ; he repeats his persuasions. And mind 
it, my friends, he calls to every description of 
rational creatures ; and especially to the dearly 
beloved youth, whose temptations are many and 
great. Oh! may we all learn the word of com- 
mand within. Oh ! may we follow after the stir- 
rings of this light of Grod in our souls; that quick- 
ens the soul, and gives it a sense of its condition 
— ^that opens and displays the way to righteous- 
ness. His call has gone forth to the ends of the 
earth ;-^all have heard, but all have not obeyed. 
Now in this light, this seed of God, there is 
unity ; but out of it there is no unity in heaven 
or in earth. Every thing that stands out of this 
light, is in that contentiousness which is calcu= 
lated to spoil society; to break the bonds of 
union : for you know that the strength of social 
beings depends upon their unity. What else is 
there to bind them, but the light and love of God 
in their souls; that love that is stronger than 
death? When a soul has this love he would 
rather die than wound another : yea, he would 
rather give up his life than to offend. For this 



74 

love can do all things — can bear all things : it 
leads to all charity^ and charity hopeth all things, 
endureth all things, and overcometh all things. 
Though all the men on the earth, — all mankind, 
should rise up to war against it, yet it remains 
the same — unchangeable. We would still wish 
them all well, use charity to all, and give praise 
to God for all. 

This is that blessed state into which we are 
all brought, by an obedience to that seed of 
God in our hearts ; that love which he sheds 
abroad in our souls, to mollify our hearts, and 
fill us with his goodness. For in this it is we 
love all, and are ready to bless all, as he does. 
He causes the rain to descend upon the evil and 
the good, and the sun to shine upon all. His 
goodness and mercy endureth for ever. Oh ! 
that we might come to it! — What a blessed state 
it is! 

When we feel the power of divine love, it dis- 
pels all clouds. Though Pharaoh and his peo- 
ple be shrouded in darkness, yet the soul that is 
brought under the influence of the power of love 
comes to see a Goshen continually ; a land of 
peace, where nothing can interrupt or annoy. 
And this is what some of the holy ancients had 
a view of, and a foretaste of ; and yet, they could 
not come to the full enjoyment of it, as social be- 
ings. No, that was left for a higher dispensa- 
tion ; till the soul should be brought into a cove- 



75 

nant with God Almighty, and when they should 
have the law written in the heart. 

David had a view of this state, when he thus 
exclaimed, "How good and how pleasant it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity ! It is like the 
precious ointment upon the head, that ran down 
upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ; that went 
down to the skirts of his garments ; as the dew 
of Hermon, and like the dew that descended up- 
on the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord 
commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.-' 

Dearly beloved friends, and fellow mortals, I 
feel no distinction, you feel all alike to me ; for 
I am no sectarian : I want to banish all such 
distinctions out of the world. 1 am sure, that if 
we come to this holy principle, all these names of 
Balaam, would be banished and forgotten, and 
never heard of more. When we come into 
this eternal principle of love, we shall love 
one another with a pure, a righteous, and undefil- 
ed love, that nothing can shake. What ! shall 
the sin of a fellow creature shake us ? Shall we 
be moved because he may be carried away by 
strong temptations ? No. It is hard enough for 
him to bear the punishment of his own trans- 
gression ; — and shall we try to heap more upon 
him? No, my friends, let us try to alleviate his 
pains, by calling him home to the light witliin 
him, which alone can redeem him from the state 
into which he has brought himself. We cannot 



76 

give him faith or belief; but we can recommend 
him in the right way, when we have experienced 
it ourselves. We can recommend him home to 
this holy principle ; and assure him, that if he 
will abide in it, it will deliver him from all 
trouble. 

It is in this that the children of God feel one 
another ; it is in this they become established ; for 
God's children are all taught of the Lord, and 
in righteousness are they established, " and 
great is the peace of these children.'' Oh ! hap- 
py state! What hinders, my friends? Are we 
afraid of being happy too soon ? Is heaven of 
so little value to us, that we are willing to put it 
off, till the day of our death ? And shall we fill 
up our time in enjoying and gratifying ourselves 
in the wretched pleasures of an earthly life, 
which is misery in its best estate ? No 5 God 
forbid it ! 

If a state of heaven is the only happy state, 
why not strive to seek it above all? Can we en- 
joy it too soon? No, my friends. And we ne- 
ver can enjoy it till we are willing to come into 
a condition suitable for it. Nothing can bring 
us into this condition, but as we give heed to the 
light of the spirit of God in our souls ; and in 
proportion as we attend to the Comforter within 
us. Jesus declared he would send a Comforter ; 
the same holy spirit which descended upon him. 



77 

after his watery baptism — the same spirit, he 
said, would be poured down upon them. 

Oh ! my dearly beloved friends, may we re 
alize these things in ourselves, for unless we do, 
we cannot understand them aright. And yet how 
simple and plain, if we were willing to try 
the matter. We have not come into a right 
state ; we have not believed in this teacher that 
leads into all truth, because we love our own 
ways better. But there is nothing else; we 
know of nothing by which we can bring it to 
the test, put it side by side, and see the contrast. 
We are too generally pursuing the things of the 
world ; and in a worldly spirit, leaving God and 
happiness, for vain and temporal things ; some 
in adding field to field, and house to house ; and 
some in adding pounds to pounds, and dollars to 
dollars : delighting themselves and one another 
in vain and cruel pursuits. I say cruel, for 
what bondage do we bring our fellow creatures 
into. 

Now the door is open for captives to come out ; 
to come home to the counsel of Jesus, and turn 
inward to the spirit of truth, the light and life of 
God in the soul. This is the only saviour and de- 
liverer for the children of men, that was ever 
known to deliver any one since the fall of man. 

Here we have what the apostle calls Christ 
within : and Oh ! that we might come to the 



78 

same righteous spirit that he was in ; the true 
image of his righteousness brought about by the 
same power of light and life. For the wisdom 
and power of Grod in the soul of man, is the on- 
ly thing that can save the soul. When we look 
to the substance, it is this spirit and wisdom of 
God displayed in the children of men, that is the 
saviour of men. It is no outward work, for no 
outward thing can touch the soul ; it has no con- 
nexion with it ; for God is a spirit and they that 
worship him, must do it in spirit and in truth. 
They who are his children must be spiritual. No 
clods of earth can be made a child of God. 
The body is a tabernacle for the spirit while in 
a state of probation, in which it can grow up out 
of this state, into a state of divine knowledge 
and fitness to become a son of God, and an in- 
habitant of the kingdom of Heaven. There- 
fore, we shall shake off all these clods of mor- 
tality by and by. What a blessed thing will it 
be, when this time shall come, and our souls 
shall be clothed upon, with that which is a dura- 
ble covering. He will clothe all his repenting 
children with his spirit, the only adornment fit 
for the child of God. It is compared to white 
linen that the multitude were formerly seen clo- 
thed in. Now what was this intended to repre- 
sent ? It was an emblem of that pure covering 
which is the righteousness of saints. Now this 
is all that is wanting, my friends. The righte- 



79 

ous Groci loveth righteousness ; and he calls for 
it at our hands ; — and what is righteousness but 
obedience to the leading and influence of his 
spirit in our souls^ that teaches us what is good 
and what is evil ; and enables us to do good and 
be faithful to all men as God has done by us. 

We are on a level with all the rest of God's 
creatures. We are not better for being white* 
than others for being black; and we have no 
more right to oppress the blacks because they 
are black, than they have to oppress us because 
we are white. Therefore, every one who op- 
presses his coloured brother or sister is a tyrant 
upon the earth ; and every one who strengthens 
the hand of an oppressor, is a tyrant upon earth. 
They have turned from God, and have not that 
powerful love, which does away all distinction 
and prejudice of education, and sets upon equal 
grounds all those that have equal rights. There- 
fore every one that strengthens the hand of the 
oppressor, is a tyrant ; for every one who op- 
presses is a tyrant, just in proportion as he does 
so : and I leave this subject for you to judge. I 
am not charging you, my friends, with being ty 
rants; but I am telling you what makes a tyrant, 
that you may look as in a glass, or a mirror, 
and know what you are in the sight of God, 
who loveth all and is ready to bless all. For 
he hath made of one flesh and one blood 
all the families of the earth, and given them 



80 

liberty, which he intended they should exercise 
equally alike. He never intended that one should 
lord it over another ; and every one that does it 
is a tyrant. 

Now this will bring us nearer together, if we 
exercise our understandings rightly. Because 
there is but one God ; and his love is alike ex- 
tended to all, and that is the alone thing that 
can lead us aright, and when we agree in this, 
every thing else is nothing to us. When we 
dwell in this love, and this little seed of Grod in 
our souls, we dwell in God, and God is love ; 
and if we dwell in love, we dwell in God and 
God in us. Here now as we dwell in this love, 
our works will make it manifest that we dwell 
in him; "for by their fruits," says Jesus, "ye 
shall know them.'' If we oppress our fellow 
creatures, we give the lie to our profession ; for 
we say that we believe in this light in the soul, 
and at the same time oppress our fellow crea- 
tures, or strengthen the hands and encourage 
those who do so ; and thus give the lie to our 
profession in the sight of all men. 

Let us then be willing to bring our deeds 
to the light. I dare not recommend you to any 
thing outward, because it w ould lead you oft* from 
that principle — from your soul's right instructor : 
it might lead you into a labyrinth where you 
would be lost. Therefore, I have nothing to 
call your attention to, but the seed of God in 



81 

your own hearts ; — to that light and life which 
is in you; the same that was in Jesus Christ, and 
which the apostle declared, was the "light 
which lighteth every man that cometh into the 
world." Therefore a portion of that light and 
life is given to all men. It is that light only 
which has brought men in all ages, to " live so- 
berly, righteously, and godly, in this present 
world.'^ 

Can God oppress? Can he look upon a co- 
loured man as mean, because he is not the same 
colour as others ? Has he not as good a right 
to look upon the whites as inferior as we have 
to look upon the blacks ? Oh ! that we might 
rise out of this state of torpor and superstition. 
Oh ! that we might rise above it. 

Then how careful should we be not to oflfend. 
'' If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat 
no meat while the world standeth.'' If by taking 
hold of the gain of oppression, or glutting upon 
the fruits of slavery, we cause our brother to of- 
fend, it would be better never to eat any of these 
things, even if our life should fall by it : " For 
he that offendeth one of these little ones that 
believe in me, it were better for him that a 
mill- stone were hanged about his neck, and he 
were cast into the sea." 

The time has come, my friends, I verily be- 
lieve, that the Lord Almighty has arisen in his 
power ; and when he will " shake, not only the 

L 



82 

earth, (in men's hearts,) but he will shake all 
their heavens likewise, that that which may be 
shaken may be removed out of its place ; and that 
that which cannot be shaken may remain." And 
when we have seen the old heavens and the old 
earth pass away, then we might hope to be 
united together in his power ; and, if we have 
acquiesced in it, that he would then create a 
new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth 
righteousness. 

i But, Oh, Justice, Justice, how thou art 
abused every where! Men have it in their 
mouths, but their hearts are too generally far 
from it. Their justice is that which comports 
with their own selfishness; their own gratifi- 
cation ; their own sensuality. Here they make 
justice like a nose of wax to satisfy their de- 
sires. But, as I observed, the Lord is arising, 
and he will shake all these false foundations : 
and my prayer is, that he may rise more and 
more in the greatness of his power, which is all- 
powerful in heaven and in earth. Love is strong- 
er than death ; but Jealousy is more cruel than 
the grave. These two things are directly con- 
trary to each other. Jealousy is a germ of con- 
tention in the soul, and those under the influence 
of this cruel principle, jealousy, are separated 
from God, and his love ; for they are direct an- 
tipodes to each other. Jealousy and the love of 
God cannot abide in the same soul, at the same 



83 

time. Oh ! that cruel thing, jealousy, what mis 
chief it does among the children of men ! 

It seems as though I could hardly say enough 
upon this great and excellent point of justice ; be° 
cause I have ever considered it the foundation 
of all good, and of every virtue. Without jus- 
tice their can be no virtue ; — none which is not 
founded upon this unchangeable principle of jus- 
tice. It brings us into what we cannot come 
into the possession and knowledge of, but as 
we submit to the seed of God in our own souls, 
— the light of Grod in our own spirits : and as 
we become willing to bow to that light, to sub- 
mit to it, he will open to us a view of what jus- 
tice is, and enable us to come up to it, and sup- 
port it in all its parts. We must not only give 
opinions ; but powerful examples, by going on 
Avith it, hand in hand. 

Now to apply it a little, my dear friends. 
What a blessing this would be to us ; — and how 
can we stand out any longer ! If we were just, 
what need would there be of all this trouble of 
binding one another by bonds and notes? we 
should have that confidence in the righteousness 
and truth of our brother, that we should be willing 
to trust every thing in his hands, and our brother 
would as willingly trust us. Here we should be 
united. Having been brought into this blessed 
state, by being baptized by the one spirit into the 



84 

one body; we should have the same sphit whether 
Jew or Gentile, bond or free, black or white, and 
should have confidence in one another. But for 
want of this justice, there is scarcely any confi- 
dence to be placed in a friend. Does not this 
show us every day, the miserable state in which 
we are, my friends. Oh ! that we may not be 
lulled to sleep, but be engaged, and sink deep 
into an inquiry after the state of our own souls ; 
and endeavour to live every moment in the right 
improvement of our time, so as to have the Lord 
continually before our eyes; then his mercy and 
loving kindness will rest upon us. Thus we 
should be able to say with one of old, ^' that in 
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly 
wisdom, but by the grace of God, we liave had 
our conversation in the world." 

Here would be an excellent state of union, 
communion, and social happiness. Here we 
should have our conversation in heaven while 
yet on earth ; and here we should begin to feel 
the riches of our blessed and eternal inheritance. 
And the sooner the better, my friends. I say if 
this heaven can begin on earth, the sooner the 
better. 

I know a little of what I sav, because it brinsrs 
my poor soul to experience, that all the jarrings 
in the world cannot jar me, because I am out of 
the reach of them all, while I centre under this 
rock of refuge : it is a mighty shelter in a weary 



85 

iandj where nothing can hurt or harm in all 
Grod's holy mountain. Though the jirinces of 
the earth may set themselves, and combine to- 
gether, if the Lord works in our souls it will 
all be cast away and come to nought. 

But a little to turn now to the conclusion. 
What I want to impress upon us is, to feel the 
blessedness of love. See how it was with the 
poor despised Quakers in the beginning, when it 
was saidj " See how they love one another.'' But 
what has become of these Quakers now ? Are 
they to be found? Let us look over and search 
in the by-ways and paths, and see where we can 
find them loving one another as formerly ; when 
it was a by- word among the people, " See the 
Quakers how they love one another.'' Why is 
it not so now ? Nothing hinders, nothing has 
disturbed the holy quiet, but our losing our 
hold of the divine light. We have turned out 
of the light, and we have turned into the letter 
that kills and brings darkness, till we are grop 
ing in the dark, like a blind man by the wall. 
Were we willing to gather inward what an holy 
silent season we might have from day to day. 
Let us wait upon the Lord ; seek him while he 
is to be found, call upon him while he is near. 
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrigh- 
teous man his thoughts: and let him return unto 
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; 
and to our Grod, for he will abundantly pardon :'' 



86 

for the power of pardon is in his own hands, and 
he cannot be bribed to do it. He never asks pay^ 
he asks nothing but a contrite heart and a hum- 
ble spirit. The Almighty declared by his pro- 
phet, ^* To this man will I look ; even to him 
that is poor^ and of a contrite spirit^ and that 
trembletli at my word.'^ Here is the place of 
improvement and learning ; and of communion 
^vith the Holy One, when the creature becomes 
nothing before him, and casts himself down at 
his holy feet, imploring his aid from time to time, 
and from season to season. The creature has 
no power of himself, to do any good thing. Oh ! 
that we might come back into that unity and love 
in which men had all things in common. Oh I 
that we might come into the state that Friends 
were brought to in the beginning. They loved 
God and loved each other, so that they would 
offer themselves to be imprisoned to relieve a 
brother. But instead of that they would rather 
imprison than lead out of prison. And how easy 
is the way to this blessed state ! Still it lies with 
us as individuals; — we must all do our own 
work. We must all do our own part by gath- 
ering inward, to that light; that seed of Grod, 
which is the kingdom of God within us. 

We must come to feel its working ; and still 
we must wait for it vdth patience, till the Al- 
mighty is pleased to rise up and meet us, and 
wait upon us. Now^ as individuals, let us en- 



87 

cleavour to do our particular part, in our own 
houses and hearts : then the work will be done; 
society will be brought together again, and be 
bound by the cords of divine love. 

If the soul is possessed of this love, there is 
quietness. It would run like oil from vessel to 
vessel ; and like that which was poured upon 
the head of the great high priest. All would 
feel its unction and its power. In order that we 
come to be subject to its operations in ourselves, 
we need not that any man teach us : " You 
have an unction from the Holy One." To this 
I would leave and recommend every soul, with 
my own, as the only way to this happy experi- 
ence. 

There is a great work for parents and guar- 
dians of children to perform, in bringing up their 
offspring ; but how is it neglected, my friends ! I 
address myself to all classes among you, who are 
parents and guardians of cliildren. I remember 
when a light lad, up and down among my friends 
and fellow creatures, how my soul has been 
grieved, to see the conduct of parents toward 
their children : and I have often thought what a 
pity it was, that they were blessed with chil- 
dren ; since they were leading them in such a 
way, as would be more likely to prove their own 
destruction, than to render them a benefit to 
themselves or their friends. I have ever been 



88 

of the belief that if we ^^ bring up a child iu the 
way he should go, when he is old he will not de- 
part from it." Oh ! that this might be the belief 
of every parent and guardian present. But to ef- 
fect this work upon our offspring, we must begin 
by times ; — we must consider the education of 
our dear children, next to the salvation of our 
oAvn souls 5 yea, equal to it in all respects. Yea, 
I fully believe, that if parents would begin, as 
soon as they discover a propensity for improve- 
ment in the child, they might control and lead 
them as they please ; and it is the duty of every 
parent and guardian to begin in season. But 
when shall we begin ? Before the child is six 
months old: for I have no doubt, they are capa- 
ble of receiving instruction before that time ; and 
I verily believe, that a child learns more dur- 
ing the first year of its life, than it learns during 
any other year. 

Did we begin with our children early, and 
keep up our care constantly, our experience 
would prove to us the correctness of that decla- 
ration of the wise man, " train up a child in the 
way he should go, and when he is old, he will 
not depart from it.'' He would become estab- 
lished, and no temptations would turn him aside. 
But alas, alas, for parents! — where is there one, 
— I say, where is there one, who is thus concern- 
ed to begin and travel on in this great work from 
day to day. Although parents cannot always 



89 

be with their children to attend them, and give 
them right instruction, they should improve the 
moments as they pass, when they are with them; 
and when absent, our prayers would ascend to 
the great Creator, that he would be over all, and 
supply our place. He will hear the prayer of 
the righteous, for the prayer of the righteous man 
availeth much in his sight. 

Here would be a reformation indeed ! — a re- 
formation that would show itself by wonders 
wrought upon the rising generation. Here we 
should see those dear little children growing up 
in the simplicity of truth, like the blessed Je- 
sus, clothed in smiles, and free from crime. All 
would be simple ; nothing of pollution or vain 
desire, either in the children or the parents. If 
the parents were right, every little vanity would 
be banished, and the little ones would be brought 
along in the simplicity; and the way of the 
cross would become pleasant. The cross would 
become a crown, and they would love the cross, 
because they would begin to feel the loving 
kindness of a gracious God, spread over and 
mollifying their little minds. Because, as chil- 
dren live in the divine fear, and as wc correct 
them under the power of his love, it reaches 
their tender minds. I know what 1 say, my 
dear friends: and. Oh! parents! parents! why 
are you so far behind hand ? Why are you so 

M 



60 

slothful and negligent in this great and necessa- 
ry concern? 

And although your parents have neglected 
their duty towards you, my young friends, — and 
a great many of you know this, — yet you know 
the liberties you take, and some of you know 
how many liberties you w^ant to take, and that 
by continuing to urge your parents you weary 
them out ; and you know they neglect their du- 
ty. But remember that your parents, although 
they must answer for their own neglect and mis- 
conduct, will not have to answer for your obsti- 
nacy and um\illingness to comply with their ad- 
vice. 

If you will reason with yourselves, and con- 
sult your own understandings, and the light of 
truth in your own consciences, you will be 
shown the folly of gratifying the carnal mind. 
^' For all that is in the world, the lust of the 
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, 
is not of the Father, but is of the world.'' They 
all come from the hearts of evil and wicked 
men. 

Dearly beloved young people, who have got 
out of the control of your parents, and are no 
longer subject to their government, look well to 
your present state; remember the example of 
your blessed pattern ; and remember that the 
children of the Lord are taught of the Lord, 
and in righteousness are they established. " I 



9i 

beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies 
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sa- 
crifice, holy, acceptable unto God; which is your 
reasonable service : and be not conformed to this 
world ; but be ye transformed by the renewing of 
your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, 
and acceptable, and perfect will of God." 



SERMON V 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS* MEETING-HOUSE, GERMA^!TO\V^'•, 
IN PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, ON FIRST DAY MORNING, 5tH 
OF TWELFTH MONTH, 1824. 

My mind has been led, since sitting in this 
meeting, to renew the ancient call formerly com- 
municated to the Lord's people : — and who are 
the Lord's people ? Why, they are all those of 
every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; and of 
every sect and profession, who are honestly and 
sincerely engaged to seek the Lord ; to seek af- 
ter a true knowledge of God and his truth. 
These, in all ages, are those comprehended in 
the expression, the Lord's people; and the 
knowledge of God and his truth is no where 
else revealed, but in the spirits and souls of the 
children of men. It can only be revealed in- 
wardly by his spirit : for nothing else ever did;, 
and nothing else ever can, reveal a true and sav- 
ing knowledge of God to the children of men, 
but his own blessed spirit. The letter never did, 
and never can, reveal God and his truth, to a 
rational soul. Therefore, it is clear and obvi- 
ous, that the declaration is true, that " the letter 
killeth, but the spmt giveth life." Yea, " the 
natural man receiveth npt the things of the spi- 



93 

rit of Grod ; for they are spiritually discerned/' 
and only spiritually discerned, I add. 

The call was on this wise delivered: ^^ Come out 
of Babylon, my people, that ye be not partakers 
with her, in her sins, lest ye be partakers also of 
her plagues." What is this Babylon, they were 
called out of? No doubt this was expressed by 
way of simile, in allusion to the great and pom- 
pous city in former ages, built by the great 
king Nebuchadnezzar, who boasted in the great- 
ness of his works, saying, " Is not this great Ba- 
bylon, which I have built by the might of my 
power, and for the glory of my majesty?'' Now 
that mighty Babylon has long since passed away; 
but there is a mystery Babylon which the apostle 
declared he was led to see. And he beheld her 
in all her works and merchandize, which con- 
sisted in all the varieties that the imagination 
could fancy, in every thing upon the earth; 
^' gold and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, 
and fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and 
beasts, and slaves, and the souls of men." Now 
mystery Babylon is fallen Christendom : it makes 
the mystery Babylon, which the apostle beheld. 
And how was it built, and by what was it built? 
Anti- Christ is the founder of it ; and those who 
are deceived by his transformations, are his 
workmen. We read he has transformed him- 
self into an angel of light; and would, if it 
were possible, deceive the very elect. But this 
is impossible; for all those who elect God, 



94 

in the way that I have mentioned, by sin- 
cerely and honestly seeking God and his truth ; 
they have elected him for their portion, and if 
they have so elected him, he has elected them for 
his children. This makes up all of God's elect ; 
and these are tliey, whom anti-christ, with all 
his transformations, cannot deceive. They are 
built upon a foundation against which the gates 
of hell can never prevail. But let us a little 
examine, my friends, into the state of this mys- 
tery Babylon, which has grown to such great 
importance in the earth. Her reign was never 
greater than at the present day ; — her merchan- 
dize was never more general than at this time. 
Who are these merchants of Babylon? They 
are those who profess to be apostles, but are not ; 
those who set up their own will, their own pow- 
er, their own knowledge, their own wisdom, in 
direct opposition to the wisdom and poAver of 
God, which is only revealed to the children of 
men, by his blessed spirit in their souls ; — those 
who have acted according to their ovati spirits, 
and have, under the deceivings of anti-christ, set 
about to build up a church to Christ and God. 
But it is altogether a counterfeit ; because it is 
built up in the wisdom of men, and in the letter, 
which is their guide. This never did, never 
will, and never can, reveal a saving knowledge 
of G od to the children of men ; — it killeth and 
bringeth death to the soul, when it is depended 



95 

upon — when it is made the principle thing. And 
how was it with the ancient city of Babylon? It 
was built of the best external materials ; for the 
king had all at his command. 

How is this mystery Babylon built? It is 
built of the best external materials ; the best of 
all letter that ever was written on earth, and af- 
ter all, it is nothing but letter. It is that which 
the wisdom of man has devised, and which he 
can work in for the sake of his own aggran- 
dizement. They are striving to build up some- 
thing like the great city formerly ; that they who 
build it may have something to boast of. Is not 
this great Babylon, that we have built, by our 
own wisdom and by our own power? These ma- 
terials they have at tlieir own command ; the 
letter of the scriptures, from which they can take 
every thing that is suitable for the deceivings of 
anti-christ, to deceive the people. Now it is out 
of this Babylon, that the Lord's children are 
called to "come out;" — out of these mixtures, tliat 
are built up in the wisdom of science, and the 
contrivance of the creature ; for they are all de- 
ceptions and deceit. They are made use of to 
enslave and make merchandise of the souls of 
the children of men ; and to make merchandise 
of the good works of those that have gone before 
them. The same apostle declared in former 
days, that a certain portion of men should rise up 
and turn away from the faith — the true faith-— 



96 

and tliis divine teaclier^ the spirit of God iu their 
own hearts ; and with feigned words they shall 
make merchandise of you. 

Who are these^ my friends ? 1 am willing to 
show you my view^, as a witness at this season. 

Those that do these tilings ; and all the host 
of them, that are made up of those that preach 
for hire and divine for money ; such as the apos- 
tle formerly cried out against — the Lord's peo- 
ple in former ages. These are the ones who are 
building up this spiritual Babylon, by which the 
nations are deceived and brought under subjec- 
tion. They are reduced by their power to obey 
all these, who have not come to the disposition 
and condition that I liave explained, sincerely 
and honestly to seek a knowledge of the true 
God inwardly revealed by his spirit and truth; 
and which never has been revealed, only by his 
spirit, in any age of the Avorld. Now it is to 
such that I call, to come out of this mystery 
Babylon, to partake not of her sins, lest they 
also partake of her plagues and fall. Although 
the time may seem long, yet her time will come, 
and great will be the fall of Babylon. When 
the Lord shall arise to shake terribly tlie earth: 
and not only the earth, but the heavens also : as 
the apostle declared he would do. And is he 
not now rising up to bring about the truth of 
that declaration. What are the abominations in 
the sight of God, on this earth ? Every religious 



97 

performance which does not arise from the imme- 
diate workings of his spirit and power. For every 
thing of man's building, in religion ; every step 
that lie takes in his own wisdom, is foolishness, 
and an abomination in the sight of heaven. There- 
fore this is the Babylon, the mother of harlots ; and 
thus they are harloted from Grod their creator, and 
from the teachings of his own blessed spirit in 
their souls ; and thus are they harlots to God. 
All their works are an abomination in the sight 
of God. And how plain it is, my friends; we 
want neither men nor books to explain it, if w^e 
exercise our own understanding. From what 
we know and discover, we are sure, that if it ig 
not of the spirit of God it must be the opposite; 
as there are but two spirits, the spirit of truth 
and the spirit of error. And what is this spirit 
of error? It is the spirit of man; that spirit 
which has assumed wisdom and power, in op- 
position to the leadings and commands of the 
spirit of God in his own soul. Here is that an- 
tichrist upon which all that Babylon's lustre 
and greatness is built. It is built up by men 
assuming to themselves the power to do the 
work of God in their own way and wisdom, by 
the mere help of the letter. See how plain and 
how clear it is. 

What are all these seminaries of learning, to 
instruct men to be gospel ministers, but the works 
of foolish creatures ; w^hat but the work and as- 



98 

sumption of the creature man, to do the work of 
God, in his own way and pleasure? Is it not so; 
is it not all of his own choice ; is it not all for his 
own aggrandizement ? I say, is it not all for his 
own honour ? If it is not plain to every one, it 
is because they are so blind they will not see. 
Therefore, I say, the call is to every one of the 
Lord's people and cliildren, among the various 
sects and societies of men, to come out of Baby- 
lon. Come out of Babylon, all ye, that feel a 
love to God ; who are wearied with your sins ; 
who are wearied with this outside work, that 
gives no satisfaction to your immortal spirits; that 
gives no assurance that you are saved of the Lord 
and prepared for his kingdom. All you who are 
sin- sick, who have entered into a sincere engage- 
ment to seek a knowledge, a saving knowledge of 
God and of liis truth ; to you I call, to come out 
of Babylon. Come out of all these mixtures, all 
these contrivances of creatures in their own fallen 
Avisdom, assuming to themselves the honour of 
being called the people of God. Here the man 
of sin is displayed ; here he is manifested as the 
apostle declared. He saw that there would be 
a falling away from the truth, the spirit, and the 
life; that the man of sin and son of perdition 
would be revealed. Who is he that has taken 
the seat of God in the heart, and exalted himself 
above all tliat is called God and worshipped. 
Now look at these religious works, or pretend- 



99 

ed religious works, in Christendom ; see how 
men have assumed the seat and place of God. 
They have undertaken in their own worldly 
wisdom, by the help of the letter that killeth, 
not only to qualify gospel ministers, and to send 
them forth, to preach the gospel, but they have 
ordained them as such: and yet you see, my 
friends, that all their works stand in direct op- 
position to the requisitions of the gospel. It was 
not to be set up by men; there was not to be a 
reward given for preaching the gospel, for freely 
was it given. Many are disposed to get their living 
out of it, by making merchandise of the writings 
of holy men of old. Now come out of these 
things, — these abominations ; for this great mys- 
tery Babylon must come down. The Lord Al- 
mighty has determined its fall ; that so the Lord 
may deliver his captive children from its deadly 
power. Let us throw away our prejudices, and 
let us try to rise above the traditions that we 
have been brought up in ; for none of these will 
save us. All the education that we have received 
from men, from our fathers and mothers, and 
from the teachings of men, unless we come to 
know the truth for ourselves, will be a burthen 
on us. It will keep us in captivity and bondage : 
for what is the letter? It is that which man com- 
municates. It is but an effect ; it is not the cause. 
All that the effect can do, is to lead us, if we are 
wisely engaged, up to the great first cause : and 



100 

tlieu we are done with the effect, for it can do no 
more. It cannot carry us forward in the great 
work of salvation : it can merely point us to the 
great first cause. Therefore it is^ that if we rest 
in the effect, death is our portion ; for let it come 
from what source it may, — let the source he what 
it may, it is no difference, for the effect cannot be 
the cause. But the effect must always rest upon 
its cause, and therefore it is, that we are recom- 
mended, by all the wise and the good in all ages, 
to gather inward to the spirit: to prefer the 
spirit; to know that nothing which is written 
can teach us aright, but the spirit of God. I 
say all letter written under the influence of God, 
points us back to the place from whence it came; 
and this is all, because as the letter never could 
be vvTitten, Avithout the Spirit which stands above 
it, the great first cause of all wisdom and know- 
ledge; therefore, unless by the letter we are 
gathered to the spirit we cannot use the letter 
aright. For it is the effect ; and when we face 
the letter we turn our backs upon the cause, just 
as a man turns his back upon the sun, to see his 
own shadow. If we would see the sun, we 
must lose sight of the shadow. 

My friends, we are all, individually, called to 
come away from the shadow, and depend on the 
substance. I was led to renew this call, as an in- 
strument ; but I recommend you to a higher pow- 
er and a more excellent call, manifested in the se 



101 

cret of every heart ; for the call has gone forth to 
the ends of the earth : all have heard but all have 
not obeyed. The truth has gone forth ; and the 
gospel is preached to every rational creature un- 
der heaven. I say the true gospel is preached 
unto every soul under heaven, and it ever has 
been so, since the fall of man. It has been 
preached by God himself in the secrets of our 
hearts. Therefore, those who have never seen 
any written testimony of it ; they have it as cer- 
tainly as we have it ; and, in proportion as they 
improve upon it, they come to know God for 
themselves, and his truth. Then wherein are 
we better, than they who have not the letter? 
We are no better at all, unless we improve our 
privileges as fully as those do who have not the 
letter. For as the letter written by inspired men 
of God, will revive the quickening influence of 
the word within our souls ; he has called us to 
come away from the world, and the things that 
are in the world ; from all its glories and honours. 
Let us remember our gracious pattern, how he 
was tempted and tried with the glories and ho- 
nours of the world, both as they related to religion, 
and to the glories of the outward world. So are 
we also tempted and tried as he was, by the glo- 
ries, the pleasures and riches of the external 
world. 

And how are we to get along ? We cannot 
get along unless we make the choice that our 
blessed pattern did : to have no will of our own. 



102 

He said, ^^ I came not to do mine own will ; but 
the will of him that sent me ; and to finish his 
work." We have all been placed in this state of 
probation — for this end have we all come into 
the worlds and for no other end, as relates to God 
our Creator and to our own soul's true interest and 
joy. Therefore every thing that grows up and 
stands upon man's judgment, independent of 
God's will, is an abomination in the sight of God; 
and one of the greatest of sins. So that all we want 
is, to come back to the Spirit, to that inward law of 
God, the light and covenant which God made with 
his creature man in the beginning. He made a 
covenant of light and life with him. And what 
was it ? when he placed him in that place allotted 
him, and opened access to him, he communed 
with him face to face. What was this covenant? 
It was this, — thou shalt obey my voice, and live. 
He gave him great liberty in relation to all other 
creatures of the earth, but he reserved to himself 
this rightful prerogative ; that man should not 
take upon himself to know good and evil ; be- 
cause if he took to himself that power he would 
rise up to an equality with his maker, and turn 
from him, as having no need of him. This was 
a prerogative, that God Almighty reserved from 
the beginning ; and this is his rightful preroga- 
tive, which he is calling on us to come back and 
surrender up to the God of our salvation. He 
requires nothing else, my friends ; there is no- 



103 

thing else wanting, to reconcile us to God, but a 
sacrifice of our own wills ; a crucifixion of the 
old man with his deeds. This we must come 
and be willing to do. We must let the fire of 
his word burn up all the combustible matter in 
us, which has grown up in our own devices, re- 
specting matters of religion. Every thing that man 
has invented must be cast into the fire and burnt 
up. And, Oh ! that we might come to see the time 
when we shall hear it exclaimed, " Babylon is 
fallen, Babylon is fallen, is fallen." Here we 
should all come to find that the work of salva- 
tion is an individual work. It is a work, my 
friends, which cannot be done by another ; for 
it must be done under the leading and direction 
of the spirit of Grod. We must all be brought 
down into submission and continual obedience ; 
and be willing to gather back into the condition 
of our great pattern, and to say to the Lord Al- 
mighty, as the prodigal said to his father, " Fa° 
tlier, I have sinned against Heaven and in thy 
sight ; and am no more worthy to be called thy 
son.'' Now, although we have sinned, and liv- 
ed in the gratification of our own will and car- 
nal desires, yet if we call on the Lord in humi- 
liation, in son'ow and distress, he will hear and be 
gracious to us. Let us then be willing to say, gra- 
cious God, pardon my transgressions, and I will 
surrender up myself to thy holy will and dis- 
posal. Let me be the clay and thou the potter : 



104 

make me what thou wouldst have me to be. 
— This is the condition we must all come down 
to ; it is the sacrifice of atonement that we must 
all make to God Almighty. We have all slain 
the lamb in our souls; — we have stifled and 
smothered the gift of God, and destroyed it as 
it respects ourselves, although we could not hurt 
it otherwise. We are dead by our transgressions ; 
and the Lord is calling us to come out of Baby- 
lon, and all dependance upon external things ; 
come out of all ordinances, ceremonies, prayers, 
and whatever stands in the invention of the crea- 
ture. They are an abomination in the sight of 
God. 

Have we not just cause to believe this to be 
true ? No one know s God, but the spirit of God ; 
then, can man set about it and pray when he 
pleases, and put it in his own letter ? Can he 
bring liis offerings in his ow n time ? No, my 
friends, no man can be taught to preach the gos- 
pel : — no one ever was taught, or ever will be 
taught, to know the real will of God, by the. let- 
ter. Nothing can teach it but his own blessed 
spirit. For the truth of this assertion, we have 
not only tlie testimony of the holy men of old, 
but we have a still greater evidence in ourselves. 
By merely turning to the light within us, we 
have a clearer evidence than all the books in the 
world can ever give us. For there is nothing 
but the spirit of God, that can teach us the things 
of God. 



105 

What is it^ that makes us to rejoice before 
God ? Is it any thing that we read in books ? 
No, it is the evidence in ourselves, of the molli- 
fying spirit of his love, w^hcn we turn our atten- 
tion to him and obey him. 

We have an evidence above all other evi- 
dence. There is nothing in earth or in heaven, 
which can give us so clear an evidence. On the 
contrary ; is there any thing in the book, or in 
all books, that can convince us of sin as he does 
by his spirit ? What is it that makes us feel guil- 
ty, when we know that we have gone contrary 
to the light and truth of God in our own souls ? 
Is it not the evidence we have in ourselves that 
brings guilt? Is it in the book ? No, but we feel 
it immediately from God. We do not feel it 
from the book or the laws of men, in relation to 
the things of God. We feel it from the moving 
and operation of his light in our own souls; 
which brings its own evidence, and condemns us. 
Thus we are compelled to plead guilty ; for in 
his presence we dare not do otherwise. It is 
because we know we have turned away from his 
commands : and it is not the book which taught 
us to know it? It is something not to be found 
written in all the books in the world. 

I have felt the experience of this myself. I 
have felt myself accused, and my soul convict- 
ed, when all the books in the world would not 
have disturbed me. Here the light that was 
o 



106 

struck up in my soul^ gave me a clear evidence 
of my case ; and many times in tilings which 
the laws and customs of man would have justi- 
fied as right. But this divine light, told me it 
was sinful in the sight of God, notwithstanding 
all the books left me without condemnation. 
The divine light opened to my view the impro- 
priety of it ; for I w as impeached and bound to 
plead guilty, when I had done that which the 
light showed me, was not consistent with the 
will of a gracious God. 

Has not this been your case, my friends? 1 
apprehend it must have been the case, more or 
less, with you all ; unless you have been very 
unmindful ; unless you have been careless and 
indifferent about truth and error; and unless 
you have given up, to pursue your own desires, 
whether right or wrong ; — unless you have be- 
come callous before God, and your light has 
been turned into darkness. 

See the command of the blessed Jesus to his 
disciples, w hen he sent them forth. They were 
to go without purse or scrip; without asking 
any thing from man, but depending on God Al- 
mighty for ability in what to say. They were 
not to meditate upon what to say. Now we see 
that all man-made ministers, are all the minis- 
ters of Babylon — are direct antipodes to this doc- 
trine. They stand as antipodes, in direct oppo^ 
sition to God and his law. They preach for hire 



107 

and divine for money; but not one step will 
they take, to do the least thing, unless they are 
to be rewarded by some pecuniary means, or 
worldly honour from man. Hence they all stand 
in direct opposition to the light ; and we see it in 
the clear light of day, that these are the ones who 
make up this mystery Babylon. And it is out 
of tliis Babylon, I call you to " come out" — to 
come away, and be not partakers with her in 
her sins, lest ye also partake of her plagues. 
For her sins are exalted to Heaven ; — the Lord 
has beheld, and will reward her according to 
her works ; according to what she has done, in 
oppressing and deceiving others. Tliis is mys- 
tery Babylon, the mother of harlots ; and abo- 
minations of the earth. And are they not unit- 
ed, in all the cruelties and bloodshed, and en- 
slaving their fellow creatures ; and thus going 
on, hand in hand, in direct opposition to God — 
and his law and will concerning us. How this 
oppression yet prevails within the borders of this 
mystery Babylon. 

It is high time that all the Lord's children 
should come out, and take a stand against these 
enormities. Now there can be but two parties 
in the business, the Lord's children, and the 
children of men. The children of men are those 
who move on in their own wisdom and invention ; 
decide for themselves, and pay no regard to the 
law of Grod, written in their own hearts. They 



108 

build up systems and societies, and make a great 
show, under a pretence of doing the Lord's 
work, when, alas ! he has not called them, nor 
sent them, nor inspired them with his love or light 
in the work. They have taken up in their own 
wisdom and understanding, those things which 
men can use at their pleasure, the letter. Thus 
they can turn it every way, and fashion it to suit 
every building, according to their own minds and 
imaginations ; and, therefore, they build up a 
great many systems which difl'er in their out- 
ward appearance, but they are all under " the 
great king of the locusts,'' which the apostle 
saw come '' up out of the bottomless pit ; and 
which had power to hurt men." 

Oh, my friends, my mind is led, by gospel 
love, to speak the truth in plainness. The time 
has come when we must no longer tamper with 
one another; for God calls for the truth, and 
that every man should speak the truth to his 
neighbour, without feigned words : that so we 
may become helpers in the great work of our 
soul's salvation, by encouraging one another in 
all things, without fear, and without favour of 
men. As this comes to be our happy experience, 
we shall be able to cast out all fear of man : and 
how wonderfully this fear prevails. How few 
are there, among those who profess even to be 
men of understanding and capacity, who are not 
afraid of man? They dare not acknowledge the 



109 

plainest truths^ for fear of one another. What 
servants can these be to the Almighty ? They 
are poor servants. Oh! turn inward to the grace 
of God in the heart; and be willing to come like 
humble Mary, formerly, when under the outward 
dispensation, and have but one teacher, as she 
had. She had but one teacher, Jesus, in the 
outward, and she was willing to sit down in si- 
lence at his feet, and wait to hear the gracious 
words of his mouth. See how Christ communed 
with his disciples, when he was about to leave 
them. He showed them the necessity of this 
humiliated state. He told them to wait at Je- 
rusalem, to sit down in a state of nothingness 
and self-abasement ; and not stir nor to do any 
thing, to proclaim him, or bear witness of his 
name, till the Holy Ghost should descend upon 
them. He said " tarry at Jerusalem, until ye be 
endued with power from on high.'' He did not 
tell them the time nor the season, for he knew 
it not ; the times and seasons were in the Fa 
ther's hands, and the Son knew it not. 

Here now as they had lost their outward 
teacher, whom they depended upon, they could 
do nothing. Here they learnt self-abasement ; 
here they learnt humiliation of soul, in this de 
based state ; while they sat waiting and looking 
for the promise of the Father, which he had de- 
clared should be manifested to them. Here their 
minds were brought into a preparation to receive 



110 

him. And so they did receive him, and knew 
him to come with power. So it will he with 
every one of us, and it is necessary for us, in- 
dividually, to be brought into the same state of 
abasement, and there wait for the Comforter to 
come : to hear the voice of the true shepherd in 
our own liearts. 

Oh! had not our first parent deviated; would 
not the Lord have led him up in due time to the 
knowledge of science? Yes : for he had placed 
in him a desire for knowledge ; and had he not 
gone beyond the bounds prescribed, but waited 
under the divine manifestation, he would have 
gradually, opened to him a knowledge of good 
and evil, and it would not have been death to him. 
But when he chose to take it for himself, and to 
turn away from his supreme director 5 then he 
slew the lamb in his own soul ; " the lamb slain 
from the foundation of the world.'' It was slain 
by our first parents ; and has been slain by every 
one of us since, by our sins. This was the true 
light of God in the soul. By turning from it, it 
becomes dead to us, and we dead to it. And 
hence the command was verified and fulfilled : 
" In the day thou eatest thereof,'' or presumest 
to be as Grod, to know good and evil, ^^thou 
shalt surely die.'' And we do so now ; there- 
fore so long as we pursue our own will and our 
own way, death and darkness is our portion 
continually. 



Ill 

Man knows nothing of the things of God as 
he ought to know them ; therefore, my friends, 
be persuaded and entreated to turn about and 
remember the ^^ father's house where there is 
bread enough and to spare." And are there not 
those present, whose souls are hungering after 
righteousness ; but who are running about after 
the lo heres, and lo theres, that are up and down 
in the earth ? Oh, my friends, run no longer 
after the lo heres, and lo theres. Your Saviour 
is within you, he is not without you, he never 
can be found without ; he is not to be known 
except in your own souls. Nothing but the im- 
mortal soul of man is a recipient for the power 
and the spirit of God ; — nothing else can receive 
the word of God. It must be immediate, and 
will be so to every one that seeks aright and 
turns inward. We must have patience and not 
do as our first parents did. It will not do to 
set ourselves to work as Saul did, — and what a 
curse he brought upon himself. And so it will 
be with us, my friends, if we set about any reli- 
gious matter in our own will 5 it will be a curse 
to us. 

Let us wait and be humble ; for it is the hum- 
ble that he teaches his ways, and guides in the 
path of righteousness. Let us be like those that 
are poor in spirit. " Blessed are the poor in spi- 
rit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed 
are they that mourn : for they shall be comfort- 



112 

ed. Blessed are the meek : for they shall in- 
herit the earth. Blessed are they which do hun- 
ger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall 
be filled.'^ 

Here we see where the blessing rests. It is 
not upon the active professor : it is not upon the 
man and the woman that can go to the altar at 
any time they please, and do as they please ; 
and turn away into the world, and gratify their 
selfish desires, by aggrandizing the creature, to 
be seen of men. 

Oh! that 1 could persuade you, to give up all 
your old religion, that stands in the letter. I 
make no distinction ; for all religions that stand 
in the letter are alike ; for the letter killeth. Give 
all up, and come doAvn into that situation, in 
which Jesus left his disciples. Noth withstand- 
ing all that he had done for them ; and all the 
miracles he had wrought among them, he told 
them, they must come to an end of it. " It is 
expedient for you, that I go away : for if 1 go 
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; 
but if I depart I will send him unto you." 

All must go away. We must no longer look 
to the letter, let it come from what source it may ; 
it is no difference. He dhected them to wait 
for the spirit. " I will pray the Father, and he 
will send you another Comforter;'' another than 
the letter, and different from any that you ever 
heard verbally from me, or from men ; for it is 



^, 



all but letter ; — all that can come to you through 
your external senses. But the will of God ma- 
nifested within us, never can come through 
the external senses, it must come through the 
spiritual senses : and then it will quicken the 
sioul, open the blind eye and deaf ear of the 
soul, so that it can see and hear the things of 
God clearly. The time has come, I believe, when 
it is necessary to give up all our old foundations, 
and suffer them, my friends, to pass under judg- 
ment,— that judgment may pass upon all, and 
that his truth may be revealed, *• It is expedi- 
ent that I go away : for if I go not away, the 
Comforter will not come ; but if I go away, I 
will pray the Father, and he will send another 
Comforter.'' Another in what respect ? A spir- 
itual one, disencumbered with any thing corpo- 
ral ; — entirely spiritual and nothing else. Why? 
Because the soul of man is purely spiritual ; and 
nothing can have communion with the Father^ 
but that which is a spiritual, an immortal soul. 
Every thing, then, derived from the letter, must 
come through the external senses, and can only 
answer for the outward creature : but when the 
spiritual senses are quickened by the coming in 
of the spirit of God, and the shining of his 
light upon the soul, it opens a renewed inter- 
course with his creature man, as he did with our 
first parents in tlie beginning, in Eden's garden. 
What is Eden's garden, my friends? It Is 



114 

the place where the Lord God is pleased to 
commune with liis creatures face to face, and no 
where else : it is every where, where God is. 
It was undoubtedly the design of Heaven, that 
man should never transgress ; but always be con- 
versant with liis Creator in spirit. For there is 
no conversing with God Almighty, but in the 
spirit. Here our first parents held holy com- 
mune with him, while they were faithful and 
obedient. But we have all turned aside as they 
did. For we discover that when the Lord im- 
peached them, and brought them to conviction, no 
doubt he granted them repentance ; and we read 
that he clothed them with '^ coats of skins to co- 
ver their nakedness.'^ And what was this na- 
kedness ? You do not suppose ignorantly it was 
the animal body that was naked ? No, it was 
the nakedness of the soul, that they knew they 
could not hide from the All seeing eye. It was 
the soul that was open and naked; for Avhat can 
transgress against God, except it be the soul ? 
This poor animal body cannot commit sin 
against God, nor was it ever to do a good act 
of itself. It is not in bones to think, or flesh 
to reason ; — it is the soul only that can have 
communion with God ; because that communion 
can only be spiritual. These coats of skin that 
he covered them with, are emblems of a more 
durable covering ; and he clothed them again 
with his holy spirit. Here now is encourage- 
ment for every one : for although we have abun- 



115 

dantly exceeded them in transgressions ;— 
though they were guilty of but one transgression, 
and we have been guilty often thousand ; yet his 
arms are open to receive us, if we will come out 
of Babylon. I say, if we will only come out of 
Babylon, he will receive us ; he will show us our 
transgressions and make us sensible of our sins; 
and if we will only turn about and cease to do 
evil, under the leading of his blessed spirit, re- 
lieve the oppressed, and plead for the widow, 
then see how he would lead us along. Then, 
and not until then, will he reason with us face 
to face. " Come now, and let us reason together, 
saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow, though they be 
red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye 
be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of 
the land ;'' but if you do not, the contrary will be 
your portion. Then he would clotlie us with 
coats of skin again,-^with his holy spirit ; and 
we should joy in the God of our salvation. 

Oh ! be engaged, my dearly beloved friends ; 
my dearly beloved young people, remember 
your Creator in the days of your youth; for now is 
the best time to serve the Lord. He has not made 
us to serve and please ourselves ; but we are 
made to serve and please Grod ; — to glorify God 
and enjoy him for ever. Therefore, every thing 
you do, must all be for this blessed end ; whe- 
ther in eating, in drinking, or in putting on ap- 
parel. You must be so under his direction as to 



116 

demean yourselves ri^'litly in all these things : 
for God loveth righteousness, but hateth iniquity. 
But if we come up as his beloved son was said to 
come up, we shall be blessed likemse. There- 
fore, as God anointed him with the oil of glad- 
ness, so he will do for you, my dear young 
friends : were you concerned to walk in the path 
of rectitude, love righteousness, and hunger and 
thirst after it, waiting upon the Lord to direct : 
then it would be, tliat his fear would so dwell 
in your hearts, that you would be afraid to eat or 
to drink, or to do any thing, in your own will. 
You would wait in all things, to know the will 
of your Heavenly Father ; so in all things, like 
our blessed pattern, you could say, I find I 
am not here to do mine own will, but the will of 
liim that sent me, and to finish his work. 

Oh! may your souls be won to God for 
ever hereafter; for he stands ready to bless you ; 
he cannot be a partial God. I can look back to 
my childhood, and see his mercy and kindness 
toward me. How it often softened my heart and 
clothed me with feelings of love. I knew not 
from whence it came, but it caused me io look 
up and love him. When I transgressed, I was 
ready to reprove and impeach myself for my fol- 
ly. My pillow was often wet with my tears* 
when I was very young. 

So he will do for you, if you will come unto 
him, for he is a God of equity and truth ; — ^he 
cannot be partial to the children of men. And 



117 

therefore, lie is willing to come, and be your 
Comforter ; to turn the hearts of the children to 
the fathers ; to make ready a people prepared 
for himself. This he is doing now, and has 
been doing in all ages of the world. He wills 
not the death of any one, but that all should re- 
turn, repent, and live. Oh ! that we might all 
believe this doctrine, and never give heed to that 
diabolical doctrine of predestination : that God 
has elected a certain portion to eternal life, and 
a much greater class of his children to suffer 
eternal punishment. How abhorrent to every 
rational soul, to suffer the thought to pass, or 
listen to the doctrine as believing it in any de- 
gree. No, he has placed us here for a great and 
glorious purpose ; and endowed us with under- 
standing hearts ; and he has given us a portion 
of power, whereby, being free agents, we may 
elect for ourselves. Otherwise we could never 
rise to that glorified state, to make us fit to be 
communicants with him in the celestial regions. 
He has given us power to make our own elec- 
tion; and none are elected of God, who do not 
elect the Lord for their portion, and the God of 
Jacob for the lot of their inheritance. Those 
who elect him are his elect, and none others ; 
and these elect will show forth that they are the 
elect by their works; for "by their fruits ye 
shall know them." Those who elect the Lord 
for their portion, will show it by their works : 



118 

for tliey will be filled with love and charity for 
their fellow creatures, w ithout hj^^ocrisy. No- 
thing else can give a proof of our christian pro- 
gress, but our works of righteousness. We all 
have an example to w alk by. We that have the 
privilege of reading the example of the blessed 
Jesus. He began his w ork of righteousness in 
his childhood ; and so we ought to do. For we 
read that he grew^ in stature, and in favour with 
God and man, and the grace of God was upon 
him ; and it was this grace that led him to sub- 
mit to his Fathers will. Did we according to 
our measure begin in our childhood ; and were 
we as attentively engaged, it w ould lead us in 
the same w^ay ; and because we are not, his ex- 
ample condemns us. / 

He showed by his own walk that he did his 
Father's will in all things; and so ought we to 
follow^ his example. So it becomes our absolute 
duty, to attend to the light of the spirit as mani- 
fested to us ; and when we do this, if we feel 
guilty, we know that we have transgressed 
against his holy w ill : for nothing but an absolute 
knowledge of this, could make a rational crea- 
ture feel guilty. The very moment we feel 
guilty, we acknowledge in the sight of heaven 
that we have transgressed, against God's holy 
law. Oh! my friends, that we might learn by 
the things that we suffer. We must come into his 
image in righteousness : for nothing else can intro- 



119 

duce us into the kingdom of heaven, but to come 
into the image of Jesus ; into his righteousness 
aud faithfulness to his heavenly Father. Here 
we may follow him ; and even those who have 
never heard the name of the gospel 5 nay, every 
creature under heaven, of every nation, has 
a witness in themselves. There they know what 
the mind of the Great Spirit is ; there they know 
the mind of Jehovah, by whatever name he may 
be called. They can all come home to the w it- 
ness of God in their own souls ; — there they feel 
all their condemnation. We have a gracious 
God to do with ; who is able to give all that is 
necessary. If the Scriptures were absolutely 
necessary, he had power to communicate them 
to all the nations of the earth. For he has his 
way as a path in the clouds ; he knows how to 
deal out to all his rational children. But they 
were not necessary; and perhaps not suited to 
any other people than they to whom they were 
written. Is it to be supposed that he has neglect- 
ed any nation ? Can we suppose that he has 
forgotten the rest of the nations of the earth ? No, 
he has dispensed a suitable law, to answer every 
purpose, as completely as the law to the Israel- 
ites answered for them ; for otherwise he is a 
partial God. But he is not partial ; for, to every 
nation he deals in his own way, according to his 
own loving kindness ; and these, in proportion 
to their faithfulness, come to be united to him, 



120 

and to knovr salvation as completely as auj 
others. Oh ! let every christian professor look 
at home : let him remove the beam out of his own 
eye before he attempts to remove the mote out 
of his brothers eye in other nations. But are 
they not going on, '' encompassing sea and land 
to make one proselyte ?"' And when he is made, 
tliey have made him two-fold more the child of 
hell than he was before. It is to be feared that 
this is too true. Oh I come out then from amongst 
them; come out from all these mixtures, and 
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of 
darkness. Oh ! "come out of Babylon, my people; 
be not partakers in her sms, lest ye partake also 
of her plagues.*' 

It was nothing but turning to the letter that 
led to the apostacy — turning away from the spi- 
rit — notliing else, — that was the whole cause of 
it. It is very easy to be seen from the records of 
the church, and fiom the reason and nature of 
things : because as thev were attentive to the di- 
rections of Jesus, they were to do nothing till 
they had received power from on high. There- 
fore he never recommended them to any book, 
nor was it needful, for as they attend to the 
one thins: needful, each one has that wliich com- 
prebends ten thousand times more than all the 
books in the world can comprehend. Because 
every thing is comprehended in the gift of God 



121 

in the soul ; and would be revealed in the right 
time to them, and thus have brought them to- 
gether in the bonds of love : although they did 
not get out from under the traditions of their 
fathers; — wherefore, not getting clear from these, 
soon after the primitive times, — they soon began 
— the survivors of them — to cry out, ^' 1 am of 
Paul; lofApollos; and I of Cephas.'' To justify 
themselves, they took up the writings of these 
individuals. Here now, see they turned from the 
Spirit into the letter that killeth. And so it has 
been by attending to the letter, darkness has 
spread itself over Christendom, working in her 
own will by the letter, and not by the Spirit; and 
it will never be good day with us till we turn 
back to first principles. 

A little caution arises, and a word before we 
part. My dear friends, judge nothing before 
the time. As we have been quietly and so- 
lemnly together, let us not enter into conversa- 
tion about what we have heard. Let us take it 
home and ponder it in our own hearts; let us 
search and see for ourselves, whether these 
things are so or not; and then we shall be pro- 
fited by what we have heard. But I have often 
thought it has been the case, after a solemn meet- 
ing, by entering into conversation about what 
has been heard, that it has all been talked away; 
and the hearers have been like a door upon its 
Q 



122 

hinges, we go as we come, and we come as we 
go ; without being any better for it. Let us then 
settle down in our own minds; and consider, 
that now is the accepted time; now is the day of 
salvation, while the Lord in his mei^cy is waiting 
upon us, and visiting us by his light and love in 
our hearts. 



SERMON VI. 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS* MEETING-HOUSE, ABINGTON, IN 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, ON SECOND DAY MORNING, 6th 



My mind, since sitting in this meeting, lias 
been considerably oppressed with a death -like 
state ; a state of ease and carnal security : and 
the language of my spirit has been, Awake, O 
sleepers, arise from the dead, and your light 
shall come. It will break forth out of obscuri- 
ty, and your darkness shall be as the noon day. 

The design and end of the new covenant does 
not intend any thing more nor less, than a recon- 
ciliation of man to his Maker, and to his fellow 
creature. For this is all that is wanting, in or- 
der to prepare and put man in a condition to 
fulfil the end of his creation. It was only a 
new covenant to Israel. It was not new to any- 
other nation of the earth ; because Israel was 
the only people, with whom the Lord had made 
an outward covenant, which was to wax old. 
The covenant that Grod made with man, in the 
beginning, remains still unbroken on his part ; 
and is the same to all the nations of the earth ; 
a covenant of love and of life, standing in this 



124 

condition principally and alone: ^^Obey my 
word, and thy soul shall live." 

The New Testament, so called, which is usu- 
ally bound up in the book called the Bible, com- 
prehends no covenant : there is nothing in it that 
appertains to a covenant. It consists chiefly and 
principally in a biographical account of the birth, 
the miracles, and the excellent life of Jesus 
Christ, the son of Mary ; and of the epistles and 
writings of his apostles. But the covenant made 
with Israel, as comprehended in what is called 
the Old Testament, was a real covenant, and 
was bound in a very solemn manner, and had its 
witnesses. It was a covenant, founded upon a 
promise made to Abraham — righteous Abraham, 
— for whose righteousness, God promised to 
him, that he would bless him and his seed ; that 
he would bless his ojffspring, by giving them a 
certain land, which he would make the glory of 
all lands by his blessings. No doubt he fore- 
saw, the state and condition, into which the off- 
spring of Abraham would be brought, when 
they came to be a great people, after being deli- 
vered from the bondage into which they were 
brought by going down willingly into Egypt. 
They were not then prepared to receive any 
other covenant than the one which he gave them ; 
and which related to the good things of this 
world. This he fulfilled according to his pro- 
mise, by giving them a good land ; which, in all 



125 

respects, carried a figure of Heaven to the soal. 
It had every thing that could give rejoicing to 
the animal bodies of Israel. 

This covenant was perfect, and contained a 
perfect rule; the design of which was, to reconcile 
the people to Grod Almighty, and to each other 5 
and as far as they were obedient, it had this ef- 
fect. It was placed in the power of every Isra- 
elite, to fulfil it ; and had they done it, they 
would have been reconciled to God and man, 
and have lived in peace and harmony, till the 
time came for its being done away, and when he 
had prepared a way for a more glorious and ex- 
cellent covenant ; — which is a law written upon 
the soul with the finger of God. And had the 
Israelites been faithful, all might have been pre- 
pared to meet the introduction of this covenant 
and law, spoken of by their prophets. 

Here now, we see what we want; we see bv 
our own experience what we lack. But if we 
look around us, how few do we see, among 
those who make a profession of being under the 
new covenant dispensation, or rather the old co- 
venant, written upon the heart, that God made 
in the beginning, and which has never been bro^ 
ken, and still continues on his part : therefore, 
it all lies upon our part. How few, I say, do 
we see, that have really come into it. Yet it is so 
plain — ^it is so clear — it is a rule so perfectly self- 
evident, that no one can err, if he will but obev. 



126 

Nothing causes error, but an unwillingness to 
obey this law written upon the heart ; for it is writ- 
ten in characters which cannot be misunderstood. 
And were we faithful, and concerned to submit 
ourselves to it, and to realize it in all our con- 
duct, we should become reconciled to our Hea- 
venly Father and to one another. It is impossi- 
ble, in the nature of things, for it to be other- 
wise ; because the law is in itself suited to eve- 
ry soul, and is self-evident to every mind ; there- 
fore, by a faithful adherence to it, we should 
become reconciled to God and to our fellow crea- 
tures ; and as every one has it in the same way, 
so it would reconcile us and unite us as one. 

By a strict attention to this, we should come 
to witness the prayer of Jesus fulfilled ; when 
he prayed concerning the disciples, that they 
might become one among themselves : " that 
as thou. Father, art in me, and I in thee, that 
they may be one as we are one.'' 

Nothing is wanting, my friends, but a submis- 
sion to this inward divine law ; and, therefore, 
it behoves us to cast away all confidence in eve- 
ry thing else. For if we look back and see the 
covenant, that the Lord made with his people 
Israel ; we discover that it was alike to all the 
Israelites ; it was one covenant, and to every one 
alike : and hence, we see, that every one might 
have kept it — might have conformed to it. Eve 



127 

ry item was set forth; and every Israelite had it 
before his view. There was no diflBculty to un- 
derstand and obey it, had there been a willing- 
ness on their part. God had done every thing 
to make the way clear and easy to them ; if they 
had been willing to meet him in his mercy and 
loving kindness. He would leave no stone un- 
turned, to make the way clear and easy. If there 
was any difficulty, it was on their part ; they 
must have created it all, for there was none any 
where else. And the reason is, we are unwil- 
ling to be governed by another; — even by him 
who has a right to do all things ; him that has 
given to every one life and being, and all the 
blessings they enjoy. Therefore, it is not just 
that we should be permitted to have our way. 
We ought to be in complete subjection to his 
holy will in all things ; because if we deviate 
from it, and act according to our own judgment, 
it is an act of great injustice, and a sin against 
God. 

The time has come when we ought to rally 
to that standard — ^that noble and excellent one, 
which is held up by a power, that nothing can 
prevail against ; that no storms can baffle or dis- 
turb. It can never be turned out of the way ; — 
we shall see it exalted, as long as we will look 
to it, and attend to the great director, there daily 
and hourly manifesting his will to the children 
of men, the world over. 



128 

But this is a way not pleasant to flesh and 
blood. It is a way, that is a cross to every 
thing selfish : and yet we acknowledge a belief 
in the doctrine, " If any man will come after me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and 
follow me/" — Is not this language proclaimed in 
our souls continually, by that power from Hea- 
ven, which enlightens every rational creature of 
God, making manifest in us every thing reprova- 
ble, for whatever is reprovable is made manifest 
by the liglit, and nothing can make manifest but 
the light. 

We have all received of this light individual 
ly; and can plead no excuse; — the Lord Al- 
mighty will leave us all without excuse forever. 
For this power of God revealed in us, will al- 
ways make us feel guilty. It shows us what we 
ought to do, and what we ought to leave undone: 
and nothing ever made a rational creature feel 
guilt, but an absolute knowledge, tliat it had 
transgressed against this light, and that it had 
done wrong when it might have done right. 
There is nothing else that could impose guilt on 
any living soul. 1 will appeal to you, my 
friends, for this truth. 

But mankind liave got into such a bewildered 
state, through their many inventions and vain 
imaginations in which they have been brought 
up, that they liave been led to put light for dark- 
ness and truth for error. Hence, error having 



129 

become established as truth, through tradition and 
education — through wrong teachers ; the great 
struggle is, to get clear of this bondage. We 
have adopted error for truth ; and therefore when 
we have done error for truth, through the trans- 
formations of antichrist; here if we omit this 
error a degree of conviction may strike the mind, 
makiug it feel guilty: but this is for want of rid- 
ding ourselves of tradition and prejudice, and 
coming under a conviction that the light which 
is in us is perfect in itself. Therefore we ought 
to try to get out of every thing which we have 
gathered from tradition ; for we never can know 
Grod or his law, by any thing without us, as re» 
spects the law of his new covenant, or the covenant 
which God made with man in the beginning ; and 
by which he was to receive blessings, on the con- 
dition that he should always obey his commands. 
^^ Obey, and thy soul shall live,'^ saith the Lord 
by his prophet, " and I will make an everlast- 
ing covenant with thee." And so he will, my 
friends, undoubtedly. And, Oh ! may we come 
to a willingness to turn away from every thing 
outward, and gather inward to the law of God 
in our own souls. 

We find that, although these things are so plain- 
ly written in the book which we call the Bible, 
yet we feel and know, certainly, that there is no 
power in it to enable us to put in practice what 
is therein written. One would suppose that to 



130 

a rational mind, the hearing and reading of the 
instructive parables of Jesus, would have a ten- 
dency to reform, and turn men about to truth, 
and lead them on in it. But they have no such 
effect. We have read the parable concerning the 
kingdom of Heaven ; wherein and by which he 
would show to his disciples, that they should no 
longer depend on the outward law and cove- 
nant, or testament ; but that they should turn in- 
ward. For he declared that the kingdom of 
Heaven did not come by any outward observa- 
tion ; because the kingdom was nearer to them 
than any thing outward could be. " The king- 
dom of God is within you ;" for where God is, 
there is his kingdom ; there his law is, and there 
he sits upon his throne, if the law is obeyed. 
And to what shall we liken it ? Jesus likened 
it to leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three 
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 
Here he tells us in plain terms to turn inward to 
the light of God in the soul ; because nothing is 
hid from him, and we cannot escape reproof with 
all our power. He will reprove us for every 
crime. Here now how self-evident it is to us; 
we feel his power over every power, when we 
become passive like the meal, and turn away 
from our self-willedness, and self-conceiving and 
contriving, into humiliation, from a sense that we 
have not power to do or think any right thing 
of ourselves. 



131 

When we become thus passive like the meal; 
then, the kingdom of God in the soul begins to 
extend its power and holy nature, influencing us 
to a compliance with the divine requirements. 
We may read of this ; but has the letter ever 
turned any one, to the right thing, unless the 
light opening it to the understanding, has helped 
him to put in practice what the letter dictates ? 
So it is with every thing external, in relation to 
the great work of our souls' salvation. And 
yet all the religion of Christendom is built up 
upon the letter, and nothing else; and what 
does it do? It brings them into that very death 
decreed to our first parents : " In the day that 
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." — So 
they who presume to build up a structure with 
their own materials, they shall die to Grod ; be- 
cause by so doing, they turn away from the di- 
vine law and command. And here they are left to 
grope in darkness, and to decide for themselves, 
according to their own vain imaginations. Here is 
death indeed ! Here is darkness which is to be felt. 
— And this death will reign, till we come to this 
internal divine law : as it is written, " death 
reigned from Adam to Moses ;'' and it is now 
reigning over tlie children of men ; over every 
one who does not come to attend to the inward 
divine law, which is shown to us by the light of 
Grod. So long as we keep from it, and do not 
come into it, and enter into a covenant with it; 



132 

so 10112: are >ve in that death aud darkness, 
wliich has reigned from the time of our entering 
into Adam's state, which is a state of deatli, 
darkness, disobedience, and turning away from 
the divine light. It will reign till we come back 
again, and renew the covenant with the Holy One. 
And here this light would not only show us all 
our follies, and all the vanities that are captivat- 
ing the minds of the children of men ; some in 
one thing, and some in another : but every thing, 
which does not stand in subjection to the di\'ine 
will, will be counted vanity. '* Vanity of vani- 
ties, saith the preacher : all is vanity, and vexa- 
tion of spirit.'^ We shall then be brought to 
leave all our vanities, that we are now in the 
pui'suit of, in ten thousand different ways; for 
few of us are alike ; nay, there are no two alike. 
Some are pursuing vanity, in gatliering riches ; 
and in the accumulation of the world's trea- 
sures ; and others in spending and squandering 
them. Others are pleasing themselves with vain 
amusements ; ^nth decking their poor bodies, with 
clothing tenfold more insignificant than the clo- 
thing of the butterfly : because that is according 
to nature. So it is, my friends ; and we never 
can be clothed aright, till we come to know our- 
selves clothed upon by the spirit of God. Then 
being clothed upon with his righteous spirit in 
the heart, we shall clothe ourselves with nothing 
but what he admits and sanctifies to us, in such 



133 

a way that we shall feel thanksgiving to him 
for the blessing. Oh ! may we dig deep. 

Some may say, " is there any religion in clo- 
thing?'^ Yes, there is religion in every thing that 
is of God ; and out of God, there is no religion at 
all. Every ribbon, that is put on to gratify your- 
selves in the pride of your hearts, is an idol, 
and you worship it. You put it on, because you 
love it better than you love the Almighty. Now 
I appeal to the youth, for the truth of this decla- 
ration. 

" These are little things ;'' here is the subtle 
pleader — the twining serpent. Here he is 
twining in our propensities, and leading us to a 
wrong use of the gifts of a gracious Providence; 
we having liberty to use them, instead of using 
them under God and according to his requirings 
in our souls, we use them for our own gratifica- 
tion. Here it is, that the evil originates. Here 
it is, that men and women create all the sin in the 
world, by following foolish fashions, and turning 
away from simplicity and truth, for fear of man 
— for fear of the world's broad laugh, and the 
finger of reproach. Here we show that we have 
another God before our eyes ; for we care more 
for man, than we do for our Creator. I want 
you to take this home my friends ; 1 appeal to 
you — you know these truths to be so. 

What are these great high crowned hats? 



184 

Were they ever devised in the wisdom of God ? 
No^ it is impossible that they should be. 

There are various, and many ways, in which 
we are led away by the evil workings in us, by 
which we abuse the blessings of a gracious pro- 
vidence. The apostle sums all this up in a few 
expressions, which may apply to almost every 
thing ; and what an abundance of evil there is 
in the world, through that one thing. Some, he 
says, will say, " we will go into such a city, 
and continue there a year, and buy and sell, 
and get gain." What an abundance of evil 
arises from this wilfulness of man; this sel- 
fish and presumptuous disposition of an en- 
tirely dependant creature. What ought he to 
do then? He ought to keep in remembrance, 
that the earth, and all that is in it^ is the Lord's : 
"the cattle of a thousand hills are his ;'^ and the 
least plant that grows is his ; the beasts of the 
field, the fowls of the air, the plants and the 
trees of the forest are all his : and we have no 
right to use any of his blessings, only agreeably 
to his good will and pleasure. We have no 
more right to take the things of God, and use 
them for our own selfish ends, than we have to 
go into our neighbour's field and take his things : 
indeed I think, it a greater crime ; because here, 
in the first instance, I offend the highest ; I go 
in opposition to him who owns all things, and to 
whom all things belong. 



1S5 

In my neighbour's field, there may be many 
things growing spontaneously by the power of 
God, without the aid or cultivation of my neigh- 
hour ; and, therefore, I might partake with less 
crime, though not in accordance with the rules 
and regulations of society, or the principles of 
morality. Yet, I say, it would not be as great a 
crime, as to use any of God's blessings, in direct 
opposition to his divine will. 

Now if this be the case, that we are thus cir- 
cumstanced, in relation to our great Creator, is 
it not our duty, to seek to know his will ? We 
should never touch nor take any thing at all, un- 
less we believe it to be agreeable to his holy will. 
Until we come to this subjection; this humble 
and abased state ; we cannot be like the passive 
meal; and, therefore, the leaven of the kingdom 
will not work to our profit. And we see it does 
not work in us ; for we are not reconciled to God 
nor to one another. But if we could be brought 
to this passive state, in attentive obedience to 
the divine law written upon our hearts, then we 
should become reconciled to God, and reconciled 
one to another. It is impossible that there 
should be any jar or animosity, or any discord, 
among the children of men, who come into this 
condition. Because, all "the children of the 
Lord are taught of the Lord, and in righteousness 
are they established :" and great is the peace df 
these children. So it would be with us : — and 



186 

Oh! that we could see it! Oh! that the chil- 
dren of men could see, that if they were faithful 
to the Lord's teaching they would dwell together 
in harmony : every one would do that justice 
which the divine law in the heart requires ; and 
when we had done perfect justice, we should 
love one another with pure hearts. Here we 
should be united in the bonds of unity and har- 
mony ; because as God is one, his truth is one, 
his law and light one ; so, as we come under its 
leading, and are submissive to its holy influence, 
we are brought into its true nature, and become 
one in him. The prayer of Jesus is verified, he 
in us, and we in him ; and all would become one 
in the heavenly father together. For here as we 
come into this unity, the soul suiTenders all up 
to its father, and thus God becomes all in all. 

Oh ! my friends, " the height and depth of the 
riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of 
God!'' How wonderfully are they displayed 
to the children of men ; and yet how few are 
sensible of it, if we judge by their fruits. And we 
are to judge them by their fruits, for •• by their 
fniits ye shall know them.'' 

Let us look around and observe, and see the 
commotions and disturbances, not only among 
nations, but in the varied societies of professed 
Christians; and in the varied families of the 
children of men. How few are the private fam- 
ilies, who live in harmony, united in the bonds 



137 

of love and affection, so as to pass on at all times 
rejoicing together ; which would be the case if 
they were under the guidance of the divine law. 
But here, any little trifle in relation to the vani- 
ties of the world, will produce strife, whether it 
have a being or not a being, a reality or not a 
reality. Because we have been brought by tra- 
dition and books, to believe this or that, and 
others will not come down to our standard : here 
discord enters ; and many things rise up to de- 
stroy the peace of families and nations. And it 
was said by Jesus, " think not that I am come 
to send peace on earth : I come not to send peace, 
but a sword." So it is with this divine light, it 
comes not to give peace to men in their fallen 
condition, but to set them at variance one with 
another. For every one who attends to it right- 
ly, will be opposed by those who do not yield 
obedience to it. " For I am come to set a man 
at variance with his father, and the daughter 
against her mother, and the daughter in law 
against her mother in law. And a man's foes 
shall be they of his own household." See how 
fully it is verified in the present day : and Oh ! 
that we might learn by these things deep wis- 
dom ; so as to cast off all dependance on any 
thing without us; for every thing outward is 
mortal, and will come to an end. The spirit 
must be separated from matter; when the body 
returns to the dust from whence it was taken : 



138 

aud while it sleeps in the bosom of the earthy the 
soul will be with Grod who gave it. It has no- 
thing, therefore, to do with any thing external ; 
for nothing corporeal can do it any good. No, it 
never can release the soul from sin. None of all 
the outward offerings ever made the comers 
thereto perfect, as pertains to the conscience. 
The only offering that is acceptable in the sight 
of Heaven is the offering of an humble and a 
contrite heart, and the soul that trembles. " Un- 
to that man will I look who is humble and of a 
contrite spirit, and who trembleth at my word." 

Oh! turn, and be persuaded by a brother that 
loves you, and craves your eternal felicity. Turn 
your backs upon every thing that is mortal, and 
come to the invisible court, and follow our great 
pattern into the holiest of holies, where every 
thing is lost sight of that is external, and the soul 
comes to settle down in the holy power of God. 
Then we shall not be carried about by outward 
things ; we shall have no cares, but the one sin- 
gle care to know and do the will of our heaven- 
ly Father in all things : whether in eating, 
drinking, or in putting on apparel ; we shall be 
willing to do all for the glory of God ; for this 
was the end for which we were made and crea- 
ted. 

Now I hold these things up as a mirror ; that 
you and I may compare ourselves with this view, 
and see where our deficiencies and spots are. 



189 

For this pure law is a mirror of life : it will skow 
us all our spots and wrinkles, and all the secret 
crevices of our souls ; all our hidden sins will he 
manifested by the light. 

Oh ! that the spirit that dwelt in David might 
dwell in us — ^that from a sense of our impotence 
and weakness, our prayers might ascend like his, 
^' Lord, show me my secret faults/' 

And what are these faults that are so various 
and so many ? Why some are led away to the 
worship of images; by being deceived and turn- 
ed aside by traditions and by books : they wor- 
ship other Gods beside the true God. They have 
been so bound up in the letter, that they think 
they must attend to it to the exclusion of every 
thing else. Here is an abominable idol worship, 
of a thing without any life at all ; a dead monu- 
ment. Oh ! that our minds might be enlightened 
— that our hearts might be opened; that we 
might know the difference between thing and 
thing. Most of the worship in Christendom is 
idolatry, — dark and blind idolatry ; for all out- 
ward worship is so: it is a mere worship of ima- 
ges. For if we make an image even in imagina- 
tion, it is an idol. 

There is nothing we can resort to, but to cast 
every thing behind our backs, and turn inward, 
and submit to the divine light in our own souls. 
It will be to us like the teaching of Jesus to his 



140 

disciples, when he was with them. He told 
them to tarry at Jerusalem, to sit down and wait 
in humble silence. I must leave you. Your de- 
pendance has been upon me; but this depen- 
dance must be taken away ; you must place no 
confidence on me any more. So, if we have 
been depending upon books, they must go away 
or our Comforter will not come. There is no 
place in the heart for him ; for there cannot be two 
opposite things in the soul at once. The letter 
killeth, but the spirit giveth life ; and, therefore, 
if the letter take possession of the heart, the spi- 
rit is ousted, and turned out — till " its head is 
wet with dew, and its locks with the drops of the 
night." We have shut him out ! We have shut 
the truly beloved out of our hearts ; and instead 
of looking within for his law, we are seeking it by 
meditatiug in the letter without us ! But we should 
meditate in the law written in our own souls. 
And what benefit we should find in this medita- 
tion ! We see the Israelites — though their law 
was so plain and so clear, they were to meditate 
in it, that they might do it, and obtain the bless- 
ings that were promised by it — which was the 
highest state they could bear. And are we not 
to be as careful as they? What they obtained by 
meditating and living up to the law, was nothing 
but an outward good land ; the land of Canaan. 
But here we have the promise, that if we me 
ditate in this inward divine law and obey it? 



141 

dictates, Heaven will be our portion, we shall 
live on angels' bread. Oh ! that we might see 
our darkness. We read, "the light shined in 
darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not." 
But if we are willing to let the light shine, it 
will show us our darkness — dispel the darkness; 
and as we yield to the light, it would dispel 
death from our souls. The light that was in our 
great pattern, was "the light that lighteth 
every man that cometh into the world.'' Thus 
we have the testimony of an experienced apos- 
tle, that we have the same light that Jesus had; 
because this light is God's law in us, that shows 
us the will of God : and as we are guided by it, 
it makes us the sons and daughters of God Al- 
mighty. And there is no other way, there never 
was, and there never can be, devised any other 
way; because it is the way that God Almighty 
has cast up, and it is so plain, that the wayfaring 
man cannot err in it. He directs all in this way: 
all are to be led on in obedience to the Lord Al- 
mighty. But, oh ! this dedication ! — how short 
we fall of coming up in it ! I am willing to plead 
guilty with you. How we are trying to keep 
back a little. We are like Lot, we want a little 
spot spared ; we are afraid to give up all ; and 
although the Almighty may, for a season, in- 
dulge our weakness, yet it is not for us to tarry, 
any more than it was for Lot to tarry at Zoar, 
It was so near Sodom that lie bes;au to 2;row 



142 

afraid, and dare not continue in it. — So we must 
not continue in this indulgence, but go out into a 
wilderness state, and be content with what the 
Lord Almighty is pleased to cast up, by his light 
and law. For he does now as formerly :—" I 
will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, 
and speak comfortably unto her; and I will 
give her her vineyards from thence, and the val- 
ley of Aclior for a door of hope.*' 

Oh ! that the Lord might lead us into this wil- 
derness state, in which we could see no way of 
our own ; in which nothing but darkness would 
surround us, till we should come to the light of 
his presence. Here, when we become willing 
to wait in self-abasement, under a sense of 
our own inability, then he will give us a vine- 
yard from thence, and the valley of Achor — a 
valley of humiliation, where his honour dwells. 

But we are too liigh in our own imaginations, 
I vriW do this thing, and 1 will do that thing. 
Oh! this great monster J, what mischief it 
is doing. This man of sin and son of perdition, 
takes the seat of God in our hearts ; and there 
exalts itself above all that is called God, and 
sets up its own religion and worship in its own 
way. And here, like Jeroboam the son of Ne- 
bat, we make others to sin by our o^^^l example. 
All worship set up in man's wisdom is like 
Teroboam's worship, an abomination in the sight 



143 

of God. How plain we can now see it, as the 
prophets of old saw it. The hireling looks 
for gain. And how much they are like Jerobo- 
am, who set up an exalted place of worship, and 
for fear that they would go to Jerusalem to wor- 
ship Grod, he made it to imitate the worship at Je- 
rusalem. So it is with this building of semina- 
ries, and entering into associations and bible so- 
cieties. They are all in the same spirit as the 
worship of Jeroboam ; and make the people to 
sin. It is all in the letter ; all out of the spirit; 
for we cannot suppose or believe that the Al- 
mighty will have any connexion with such a 
heterogeneous mass of beings ; composed of high 
and low, rich and poor, the warrior and the op- 
pressor. Grog and Magog, rising up to make war 
upon him that " rides on the white horse.'' 

Now we are called by a high and holy calling 
to bear testimony against these works of dark- 
ness. We are to have no fellowship with them ; 
but to reprove them by our walk and works ; and 
by our testimony and conversation at all times. 
For unless this comes to be the case with the few 
remaining upright minds that are mourning on 
account of these abominations, even those who 
have not yet fallen victims, must all fall together. 
Therefore, my spirit prays, that my brethren and 
sisters may rally to the standard ; and by dili- 
gence and faithfulness, endeavour to open their 
eyes to see in the light ; — ^to «ee the glaring wick- 



144 

edness of these things. Oh ! may you take cou- 
rage to hold up your testimony for the Lord and 
his cause upon the earth, and for your dearly 
beloved fellow creatures ; and may prayers as- 
cend for all those deceivers : for verily if we 
dwell in the love of the gospel, and under its in- 
fluence, our prayers will ascend for all those 
deceived ones. O Lord, open their eyes ; give 
them to see where they are, and to behold the 
abominations in which tliey are engaged. 

But it seems as though the mighty destroyer 
was ready to draw down the stars of heaven, 
by the sweep of his tail. Antichrist is be- 
coming so extended in the earth, that his tail 
seems to be encircling all regions, and ready to 
draw down a deluge of destruction. The fol- 
lowers of antichrist are endeavouring to gain 
strength by joining their forces, and were it pos- 
sible, they would carry all before them. But 
the Lord will divide them ; they cannot unite ; 
they are made up of such brittle materials. Like 
the great image ef Nebuchadnezzar, they can- 
not unite together. Like the toes and feet of 
that image, made part of iron, part of brass, and 
part of pottei'^s clay, they will slowly crumble to 
pieces ; when they endeavour to unite, they will 
crumble apart and cannot unite. There are none 
who can unite, but those who come under the 
operation of that little stone cut out of the moun- 
tain without hands ; — we must come to know the 



145 

operation of it upon us. What is this little stone? 
Why, it is the kingdom of God in us; like a lit- 
tle leaven in the soul. This is the stone cut out 
without man's hands; it is nothing of man's con- 
triving. It is in direct opposition to man in his 
own will, and in all his creaturely desires : but 
as we give way to its influence in our souls, it 
breaks down the spirit of self will, and lusting 
after power and glory — this strong desire to wield 
the arm of power in their own way. All this 
spirit of self will must be broken down by that 
little stone cut out without hands ; — Oh ! I say 
it must be broken down in each of us, individu- 
ally, and it must grow and become a mountain, 
and fill the whole earth. It will be so if we are 
willing to be emptied of self, and let this little 
stone turn out one thing after another, and fill up 
the vacuity with its own self — its own light. So 
when it has bound the strong man armed, and 
cast him out, it will continue to work to spoil his 
goods. And when it has destroyed all, and 
burnt up all the combustible matter that the soul 
has been full of, as soon as a vacuum is produ- 
ced, it fills it with its own power — the creature 
becomes new — a new birth is produced. This 
is what the Lord is about to do, and what he has 
been endeavouring to do in all ages since the 
fall, in order to gain his rightful prerogative in 
the hearts of men. And he will overturn and 



146 

overturn, till we come to yield, and till we are 
willing to let him come in. 

Oh ! my friends, let us keep in remembrance 
that he has imparted to us liberally a portion 
of his own power, by which we are enabled to 
make our election ; and no power in earth can 
take it from us. It was the will of God that it 
should be so ; and he being above all, none can 
take it from us. Therefore, I say it is an indi- 
vidual concern ; and we ought as individuals, to 
consider well on this important point, and see 
how to use this great and blessed privilege, to 
make a right election. For all those who elect 
God for their portion, he will elect. Such as the 
poor in spirit, the mourner, the meek, those who 
hunger and thirst after righteousness, and those 
who are persecuted for righteousness sake: these 
are the ones whom the Lord will thus bless with 
his spiritual blessings; — and Oh! may we be 
among these my friends. My spirit prays for 
it. I look upon you with great love. It is likely 
this is the last time I shall see you here, or tread 
this floor ; but my love for you is such, that I 
desire, after my decease you may remember these 
things, and realize them in your own experience. 
It has become my delight to do the will of God, 
and my glory to endeavour to promote his righ- 
teous cause. My soul craves it incessantly and 
continually, that his power may pervade the 



147 

earth, in the hearts of the children of men ; that 
it may break up their fallow ground, and pre- 
pare it to receive the kingdom of light and life 
—of God in the soul. 

Oh ! that we were willing hearted ; and then 
he would do wonders for us. We read of the 
mighty miracles of Moses, in bringing the chil- 
dren of Israel up out of Egyptian bondage; 
and the miracles of Jesus Christ; but they all 
sink into nothing, when compared with what 
he works in the immortal souls of the children of 
men, when we gather inward to the power of 
God in our own souls. Here are miracles as 
much above those, as heaven is above earth. 
Miracles upon the souls of men, leading them 
out of sin and corruption, into the glorious liberty 
of the children of God. 

What were Moses' miracles upon the children 
of Israel, when compared with the importance of 
one single soul ? One soul is worth more than 
all the external carcasses of the Israelites. 

But people are so much in the letter, and so 
carnal, that they are looking backward to these 
outward miracles. Some may say, that if they 
had lived in the days of Jesus Christ, they could 
never have crucified him. Depend upon it, my 
friends, you would have been the first to have 
done it, for you are doing it now by looking 
back to external matter to find God, while he is 
in you; and is able to work greater miracles for 



148 

you than he ever wrought in the sight of moi'tals. 
He would enable you to overcome all your 
wrong propensities and desires. And what a 
blessed liberty this would be from all the vain 
customs and fashions in which the children of 
men are enslaved. I mentioned a few of them, 
and leave the rest for vou to consider. 

In what I have said to you, you may all be 
pointed to the necessity of examining into your 
own states and conditions; to know where you 
are. By sincerity and diligence, these vanities 
may all be banished from the soul ; and you will 
be brought to triumph over them all. You will 
be enabled to come into the simplicity of Jesus 
Chi'ist; and into the holy cross, which is nothing 
but the divine law of light in the conscience, 
which crosses man's will, and calls him to come 
out of the world's wa^, and friendships, and 
maxims. 

How many inventions of men I might enume- 
rate, and some of which grieve my soul. Bible 
Societies, Missionary Societies, and Agricultu- 
ral Societies. What are they for, my friends ? 
They are to gratify the pride and vanity of man^ 
in his own selfish wisdom. There is nothing of 
God in them, I declare to you ; and neither could 
you join them, were you passive to the divine 
will. Is he not already blessing us, with too 
many outward blessings? What more can we 
want? Would it not be a greater blessing to 



149 

limit our outward blessings ? Was it right for 
Elijah to pray for drought? It seems as if it 
would be right to pray for our outward blessings 
to be limited ; for we see the strongest proofs, 
that they lead to all kinds of wickedness, which 
can be invented by the children of men. 

Have we not millions of bushels of the bread 
of life, more than we ought to have ? Are we not 
wicked in distilling it into spirituous liquors ? 
We ought never to have a bushel to spare for tliis 
purpose : and we should not have any to spare, if 
we were right, because we would not suffer this 
great evil to be in the land. But now, people are 
raising up themselves by gaining riches, through 
the medium of these intolerable things. Man 
was not designed for such an end, my friends ; 
because, if he was, it would have a tendency to 
make him happy ; but it all combines to make 
him more miserable. What vexations, what tor- 
ture! How we mourn in our towns, at the 
drunkenness, gluttony, pride, and vanity, and 
cursing ! And these are increased by joining so- 
cieties, the effect of which is, to draw youth to- 
gether, to make them love company, and to make 
them drunkards. Quietness and peace are the 
best for us. What do riches do? Why the 
apostle tells us, " do not rich men oppress you, 
and cause you to blaspheme that holy name, by 
which ye are called?'^ Do not the rich oppress 
the poor, so that they feel it. and ate evpn ready 



150 

to curse them ; and to blaspheme against God, 
by being led into that which is not right. But 
although the rich may oppress the poor, still the 
poor should not curse them, or blaspheme that 
holy name. 

Time would fail me, and strength would fail, 
to open all that my soul feels, in relation to 
these things. The light of Heaven is spread 
before my mind, causing my prayers to rise, that 
God will arise in the strength of his power, and 
drive away these mists of pompous darkness in 
which men are groping like a blind man at the 
wall, and know not whither they are going. But 
my time and strength would fail me, — and I am 
therefore, willing to draw to a close, if the Lord 
will. And, oh ! may we bow in deep humilia- 
tion of soul, and come into that universal love, 
that gathers all nations into one bond of love ; in 
which we might all unite and return thanksgiv- 
ings to God Almighty, and take courage. 

I greatly desire that the young people, both 
male and female, may no longer consult with 
flesh and blood as they do, and waste their time 5 
for every moment may be considered, worth a 
world to them. If they do not improve the mo- 
ments as they pass, they may lose more than ten 
thousand worlds are worth. Oh! my young 
friends, plead no longer with flesh and blood, to 
gratify yourselves with fine apparel. For what 



151 

do you say by your language and example? 
That the blessed Jesus, and the pious in all 
ages were all fools ? Do you not rise up and 
bear pointed testimony against them and all their 
works ? Here you are at least blameable. What 
led the pious in former ages into their simplici- 
ty ? Was it not the love and fear of God ; who 
limited his beloved son, by the influence of his 
spirit, so that he had no liberty to clothe and 
deck himself — no liberty to indulge in these 
things ; but no doubt was led into that adorn- 
ment — that simplicity, that was consistent with 
his Heavenly Father's will. But now we have 
grown so wise, that we think nothing of these 
things ; we are not afraid to stand upon our own 
judgment. 

Look at it, my friends ; for I think I know a 
little of what I say ; for I have been where yoi;i 
are now. I know the snares that beset your path, 
and I pity you. For it was the fear of God 
that dwelt in my soul, when I was young, that 
preserved me from running in the same way. 1 
knew that it was not right for me to do as 1 pleas- 
ed in these things; I knew that I was the Lord's, 
and that I ought to demean myself as his ser- 
vant. 

The vivacity of our animal nature drives us 
on to these things : but has not God placed in 
this tabernacle, an immortal soul, upon which 
he has impressed a desire after happiness ; a de- 



152 

sire after that wliicli will make our immortal soul 
happy ? And we learn from this desire, and from 
our endeavours to satisfy it, that nothing mortal 
can do it. Let us do all we can, still this 
infinite desire, of the soul, is no more satisfied 
than when we first set out : nay, it is more 
tormented and unhappy than when we had 
nothing at all. Oh ! that you might reflect upon 
these things, and learn to improve the gifts of a 
gracious God. If you will hut meditate in his 
law, he will lead you to see, as I have seen, that 
these vanities lead away from God; and that 
they are in direct opposition to the doctrines and 
precepts of the wise and good in all ages. They 
were all led into simplicity. And why ? Be- 
cause truth is simple: — God is serious, and every 
right sense of man is serious ; reason is serious, 
and if our reason was rightly improved, we 
should never indulge in any superfluity in our 
apparel. It shows that man has become a poor 
effeminate creature; that he is guided by the 
vanity of his mind. We have obvious evidence 
of this ; for as soon as the soul becomes subject 
to the cross, and listens to the divine law, how 
distressing these things are ! They are too nau- 
seous to be borne : they are such a sore that we 
cannot abide them any longer, but cast them off 
like filthy rags. 

Oh ! do be persuaded by one who loves you, 
to tura inward to the truth in your own minds ; 



158 

for the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom | 
which alone can preserve you from the snares of 
death; and strengthen the understanding of your 
minds, so that you can resist every temptation, 
and meditate day and night, in the divine law, 
by which you will be led into simplicity and 
truth. 



u 



SERMON VII. 



BELIVERED AT FRIENDS MEETING-HOUSE, BYBERRY, IN 
PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, ON FOURTH DAY MORNING, 8tH 



My mind, since we have been sitting silently 
togetlier, has been led to a feeling view of the 
excellency of love ; pure undefiled love ; its dig- 
nity, its majesty, and its power. It stands over 
and above all : it is above all price ; — it cannot be 
bought. If a man would give all the substance 
of his house for love ; it would be utterly con- 
temned. It was, no doubt, that which led the 
apostle, formerly, to address his brethren on this 
wise : " Let brotherly love continue.'' 

Now, what is this brotherly love, my friends? 
— this true brotherly love ? I apprehend we may 
see something of it, in a family of children, all 
of the same parent ; why, it leads and instructs 
all, and keeps all in their proper allotment, un- 
der the direction of a pious and wise parent, 
who begins with his children when young, very 
young ; and if he is, as he ought to be, possessed 
of love, — his love to his tender offspring is equal 
to his love for his own soul. He begins with 
them, when they have a being, one after an- 



155 

other ; and he instructs them according to 
their age and preparation to receive instruction. 
And in a large family of brothers and sisters, 
there are many states, all somewhat diiferent 
from each other, in point of age and acquire- 
ments; the parent begins with the first, and leads 
them on, so that they are prepared to receive a 
different kind of instruction, and greater know- 
ledge and information from him, than the young- 
er brothers and sisters. 

But here, if brotherly love prevails, no envy 
gets in ; — the younger do not envy the elder, 
because the father informs them of higher pur- 
suits, which are beyond the reach of the young- 
er, and which they cannot understand. And 
as they keep in love and fellowship and in obe- 
dience to the father, they are all content with his 
disposing toward them. They attend individu- 
ally to their own lessons of instruction. Their 
meals are all meted out, in proportion, and in 
agreement with, their several states and condi- 
tions ; and yet there is a diversity in the whole, 
not all being capacitated alike for receiving in- 
struction, or any thing else. The elder ones 
have their proper places in the family, all in re- 
gular gradation one above another. 

The younger ones, seeing the elder advance 
beyond what they know and experience, are sti- 
mulated with a desire for this advanced state. 
As they keep in love to one another, it does 



156 

not raise any envy or dislike, but all go on 
in harmony. Now, these are the effects of 
pure undefiled love. This is that love, of which 
we read so much ; the excellency of which is so 
highly desirable ; and which is said to be strong- 
er than death. Oh ! its excellency, its dignity, 
and its power ! What wonders it does in the 
creation ! He that is the author of it, assigns of 
it, like a pious father dealing out to his children, 
to every one who is obedient to his manifested 
will, and agreeable to his state and condition to 
receive. 

The elder will always be ahead in advance- 
ment, if he is equally obedient and faithful ; and 
yet there is no envy, no strife : ^^for where envy 
and strife is, there is contention and every evil 
work.^' But in a well ordered family of children, 
these things cannot rise ; for if they all stand 
in their proper places, envy hath no place ; and 
strife is not known. 

Now, my friends, there is nothing, 1 appre- 
hend, that can keep families together, and pre- 
serve, harmony and concord, but love — all-pow- 
erful love. However, as I observed, we read 
much of it, and of its power and sufficiency ; 
yet we cannot gain it through that medium. All 
that we can read and hear about it, gives us no 
possession at all. There is but one way in 
which we can come to know it ; and be blessed 
with it. We cannot purchase it with money : 



157 

no, it is above all price. How are we then to 
obtain it, my beloved friends ? There is but one 
only way — ^there never was but one only way ; 
— and that is faithfulness and submission to 
the father^s direction ; faithfulness and submis- 
sion to the father's discipline. For every pru- 
dent, godly, and wise parent has a discipline in 
his family. If he has wisdom to direct, and 
his children are obedient to his will, all will be 
subject to this discipline ; subject to this law of 
the family ; each standing in his own proper al- 
lotment, without grudging, and without envy. 
So it will be, and so it must be, with our Hea- 
venly Father's family ; for all his children must 
be taught of him. " The Lord's children are 
all taught of the Lord, in righteousness are they 
established, and great is the peace of these chil- 
dren." 

Here we have a view of the subject outward- 
ly ; but it gives us no possession at all. It is 
but the letter; it is not to be depended upon. We 
must come home within ourselves. We must 
come to know our hearts cleansed, purified, and 
emptied of every thing which is in opposition to 
this pure and holy principle. Now this is a 
great work. It is a work of God upon the soul; 
for man cannot do it himself. 

We have all fallen away from this pure, un- 
defiled love. There is another who has got pos- 
session of our hearts; the " strong man armed." 
While he keeps the city, the goods are at peace: 



158 

but when a stronger than he comes in and turns 
him out, then he can spoil his goods. 

What is stronger than the strong man? Pure, 
undefiled love is stronger ; for God is love, and 
they that dwell in love, dwell in God, and God 
in them. Now here we may see and behold 
what to do. We feel and know, in ourselves, 
that while we are in a natural state ; while 
we are unredeemed and not saved, our hearts 
are filled with many guests, — many beloveds. 
Here divine love cannot enter and get a place of 
residence. If it for a moment breaks in upon 
us, and makes us feel its excellency ; it is soon 
crowded out by these many beloveds. We turn 
away our attention, and lose the feelings which 
are sometimes witnessed, while it is shed abroad 
in our hearts. Now, here the divine visiter ma- 
nifests himself, and shows the design of his 
coming ; that it is in order to bind the strong 
man in us, who has taken the seat of God and of 
love in our hearts ; — the man of sin and son of 
perdition; or man's strong will, his strong and 
ungoverned passions, which have grown up in 
him, by indulging his propensities beyond truth 
and righteousness. 

This is the strong man in the soul, which 
stands in direct opposition to God, and to pure 
undefiled love. It is selfish, and all it does is to 
gratify self: all it does while under the power 
of this man of sin and son of perdition, is to ex~ 
alt itself, no matter how. 



159 

The great work which we have to do is, to 
turn to the Lord, when he is pleased to call up- 
on us, to plead with us, as no doubt he has at 
times with all of us. We must endeavour to feel 
the mollifying influence of his love; we must lis- 
ten and attend to this holy visiter. We must 
give way to him in our hearts, and permit him to 
dispossess the man of sin ; for he has come to 
bind the strong man armed, and to turn him out; 
to clear our hearts of all our strong passions, un- 
cultivated desires, and selfish will. We should 
therefore unite, with the operation of this divine 
principle of God in the soul. It is a living prin- 
ciple, it is the light and life, by which all the 
children of men are enlightened, and shown 
their condition. By it they discover the enmity 
that exists between this divine love, and the man 
of sin ; for there is great enmity between the two 
seeds. One to bruise the head, and the other to 
bruise the heel. The man of sin and son of per- 
dition cannot bruise the head ; for the true head 
is the seed of God in the soul. He can do no 
thing but to undermine and deceive, by his work 
ing and deceptive power. Here every individual 
has a great work to do, under the leading and 
influence of this divine visiter, the light and love 
of God in our own souls. He comes in at times 
and seasons, when, in the cool of the day, the 
mind is a little retired from the continual exer^ 
tions and buzzing about its own business. When- 



160 

ever it can find the soul in a state of quiet, it 
comes in, and makes it sensible of its condition. 
Blessed be his great and glorious name; he is 
visiting all the children of men with this divine 
love ; for God is love : — and by this principle he 
works upon the children of men. By it, he en- 
deavours to bring them off from that which is 
against his nature. 

Man, in his fallen state, is a heap of hatred and 
opposition to divine love ; and hatred and love 
cannot abide in the same place, at the same time. 
And as we yield to temptations, evil of every 
description arises in the soul, and stands in di- 
rect opposition to God, and his law and light. 
The great work, therefore, is to turn inward, and 
wait in holy silence to feel the arising of the 
pure light and love of God there ; and in the 
same proportion as we yield, our love will begin 
to lise. It will break forth as the morning. 
Yea, if we are faithful to its divine influence, 
it will cause our darkness to be as the noon day, 
and thus our hearts will become emptied. They 
will become as a vacuum, when the divine love 
and light shall have banished all these evils ; 
and when all combustible matter shall be turned 
out of the soul. This cannot all be done at once. 
It is a gradual work. In the figure, the Israelites 
did not drive all out at ouce, lest the beasts of the 
field should prey upon them. So with the souls of 
the children of men. The Almighty enters and 



161 

engages the soul, and turns its attention to itself. 
He shows it what is its first work. It is to do away 
this thing, that thing, or the other thing, which 
the light reveals to be inconsistent with the di- 
vine will. Here then, as we give up this enemy, 
to be slain and cast out, it leaves a vacuum in 
the soul, and this is filled with divine love ; and 
so, as there is faithfulness to the divine light and 
manifestation in the soul, one enemy after another 
is overcome, and there is always something to 
fill up the place. The Lord in his loving kind- 
ness fills the vacuum, and enables us to go on 
from one degree of strength to another. Here 
we learn to know and understand what the 
apostle expresses of growing in grace ; and in 
the saving knowledge of God our Saviour, step 
by step, like Jacob's ladder, by which we climb 
from earth to heaven. We are brought out of a 
state of wrath; a state in which envy and strife is, 
and contention, and every evil work. 

We gradually rise out of these things; and as 
way is made, as I observed, evil is cast out, and 
good comes in and fills the vacuum, till the whole 
heart becomes renovated and renewed. 

Here we come to witness the new birth. We 
read of a state in which man becomes a new crea- 
ture; "he that is in Christ is a new creature.'" 
What is it to be in Christ ? It is to come up 
into that righteousness which he came up into. 

X 



162 

He had to war with temptations as we have. 
One temptation after another assailed him ; and 
as he overcame one, the divine light took place 
of it : Just so it must be with us, if we are ever 
made fit for the kingdom of heaven. We must 
come to know all these things removed, before 
we can enjoy that pure undefiled love, where no 
envy or strife is, no contention or evil work. We 
are willing that every one should stand in his 
own allotment. 

Therefore, ^^ let brotherly love continue." Let 
us be of the same mind to one another. How^ 
are we to be of the same mind? Does this mean 
that we are all to come to the same point ? No. 
Because we are gradually advanced one above 
another. The elder brother has a mind to love 
the younger, when he is under the direction 
of the father ; and therefore the younger has the 
same mind to love the elder, in proportion as 
he is in his proper allotment, under the direction 
of his great parent. So it should be in so- 
cieties. There should be no discord, because 
the individuals are in different situations ; they 
are all children growing up together ; some have, 
of course, experienced a great deal, some very 
little ; but this should not excite the envy of those 
who are so young as not to comprehend, what 
their elder brothers have attained to. That love, 
which is stronger than death, keeps down envy 
and strife, and every one in his proper allotment, 



163 

is willing to let others do as he would have them 
do to him. 

Now to the want of this spirit of love, in the 
minds of the children of men, may be attributed 
all the persecutions in the world, on a reli^^ious 
account. Because if men were willing to subject 
their wills to the divine will; if we are desirous of 
being the Lord's children, we must be obedient to 
his law. And therefore, as he has but one law, 
which is a law of righteousness in every soul, it 
is a law that is clear and perfect ; so that every 
individual that attends to this inward law, has 
th(? will of Grod manifested to him. For no out- 
ward thing can manifest the will of God. If we 
believe what we read, and what we know in our- 
selves, nothing can teach us the things of God 
but the spirit of God. Nothing can write God's 
law upon our hearts but the finger of God, 
There it is, then, that we must gather as the only 
place of safety ; there the work is to be done. It 
is there, we find our enemy, if we have any, and 
there we must find our friend. But people are 
too generally, looking outwardly to find God ; 
and in this outward looking they are told about 
a devil ; some monstrous creature, some self-ex 
isting creature, that is terrible in power. Now, 
all this seeking to know God, and this devil, or 
the serpent without, is the work of darkness, 
superstition, and tradition. It hath no founda- 
tion 5 it is all breath and wind, without the pow- 



164 

er. We need not look without for enemies or 
friends ; for we shall not find them without. 
Our enemies are those of our own household: 
our own propensities and unruly desires are our 
gi'eatest, and I may almost say, our alone ene- 
mies. And yetj in themselves, they are all good ; 
because man could not give himself propensities 
or desires ; and therefore, as there is but one be- 
ing who creates, and as he is perfect in wisdom 
and holiness, and as he is nothing but pure and 
undeflled love, he could create nothing but that 
which is good. If nothing can create but this 
undefiled love, all that we feel and all that Ve 
have, when we turn inward, is the work of 1;his 
Almighty creator, who has stamped it upon man, 
and made him a twofold creature, consisting of a 
body and a spirit — matter and spirit. He has 
impressed upon the immortal soul of man, pro- 
pensities and desires, suited to its nature, and 
suited to the design of its creation and existence. 
He has impressed upon our animal bodies pro- 
pensities and passions suitable to their nature, 
to lead us to provide for what we stand in need 
of. Nothing could impress these upon the crea- 
ture, but Grod Almighty who creates ; because 
man cannot create any thing, or make any addi- 
tion to that which Grod has given him. Neither 
is there any power under Heaven, whicli can 
alter the state of man, beside man himself and 
his Creator. And as God is over all, and is 



165 

perfectly good, he could not possibly create evil; 
and therefore, we must seek for the way in which, 
and the place from whence this evil arises, in 
some other quarter. We must not look outward 
ly for it, but inwardly. 

Here we find that we are possessed of desires 
and propensities of various kinds, and a great 
many of them ; and yet they are all absolutely 
necessary, as our being is necessary. Here we 
shall find out that which will banish all super- 
stition and tradition from our souls: we shall 
find out that God is the only great good ; that 
all evil arises from our disobedience to him, and 
from our abuse of his blessings. He has made 
man a twofold creature; one part mortal, the 
other immortal. The mortal tabernacle and the 
immortal spirit within, can never unite one with 
the other; they must stand eternally distinct from 
each other ; and therefore, the immortal spirit 
has its independent nature, distinct from matter, 
because it comes from God. In old days it was 
seen to be so. These poor bodies of clay must 
return to the earth from whence they were taken, 
and the spirit to God who gave it. The soul, 
when disencumbered from the body, returns to 
the world of spirits, to give an account of its 
deeds, while an agent under God, in the animal 
body, with authority to direct it as wisdom should 
dictate. We see that it is not in the animal body 
to reason. No : it is not in bones to think, or 



166 

flesh to reason. It is the immortal soul only that 
is accountable to Grod. For its own propensities 
are limited by the lisjht of God in itself; and its 
duty is to keep in subordination the animal bo- 
dy, so as not to suffer it to get angry, or do any 
thing contrary to this light. It is to keep it 
down within its proper limits. And how natu- 
ral these things are, my friends, if we reflect 
upon them. They are as plain as A, B, C. You 
would find ypu never were tempted by a devil 
without you, but by a devil within you. What 
is the devil ? It is that cunning, twining wisdom, 
— that serpentine wisdom of man. Man is a being 
who is made a free agent, and with propensities, 
out of which, he is to grow up into a more glo- 
rious state. But by indulging them beyond the 
bounds of wisdom and of truth, — here is where 
the evil begins — here comes in that that does us 
mischief. What makes a drunkard, but the 
souPs indulging the animal passion after drink, 
which taken to excess produces drunkenness ? 
It is nothing but the excess that makes the drunk- 
ard. Here now we see where sin begins ; here we 
see where devils are created, by man himself; he 
is the author of them all; as he is the only fallen 
angel upon earth. What produces the glutton, 
the adulterer, the fornicator, the covetous, the 
liar, the thief, but an excess in the indulgence of 
propensities, which lead us to seek for that which 
is necessary for us? We should always keep 



167 

within the limits of truth and wisdom, and never 
suffer our propensities or desires to carry us be- 
yond what God in his wisdom intended to be 
our limits; and thus all our passions would be 
kept in their proper allotments. 

Man was created and placed in a garden of 
trees — full of trees — which he was to dress, and 
keep them in order. And what were the trees in 
the garden of Eden? They were the propensi- 
ties of man, in his animal body. These are the 
trees that will grow, if they are not kept down 
by pruning. You know how necessary it is for 
the wise husbandman, by care and the use of the 
knife, to keep his trees pruned; and if any bud 
shoots out improperly, he rubs it off, and keeps 
all smooth. If he suffers it to grow, it may be 
injurious to the tree, and may require the knife. 
Just so it is in a spiritual sense, if we attend to 
the trees of the garden ; if we watch over them 
with diligence, and watch every growing pro- 
pensity, as it grows stronger, and the soul in- 
creases in knowledge. As the desire of know- 
le€lge grows stronger, we are to keep it down, 
and never let the mind rise, to exercise its own 
ability to decide for itself, but wait in humility 
on the heavenly Father to know his will. Let 
the business be great or small, still it must be 
under the dominion and control of the heavenly 
Father. 

Here we see how the blessed Jesus went on, 



168 

and how he began. He said he did not come to 
do his own will, but the will of the Father, that 
sent him. Just so with us, my friends ; tliis is 
the end of our coming into the world, not to do 
our own will, but the will of him that has bless- 
ed us with this state of being, and endowed us 
with these passions, which bring about our pro- 
bationary state. We feel that we are placed in 
a state of probation ; and we feel and know that it 
is done by our Creator ; and, therefore, we must 
conclude that it is the best situation in which in- 
finite wisdom and perfect justice could have pla- 
ced us. There could have been nothing more 
excellent ; for if there could have been, our gra- 
cious Creator would have placed his creature 
man in the best situation — in the best possible 
state to effect the great end of his creation. 
Therefore, this probationary state, is the best 
state that infinite wisdom could have selected, to 
effect the great design. 

Well now, there must be something to bring 
about this probation ; and has there been any 
thing that any of us ever knew of, but these pro- 
pensities and desires, that are a part of our com- 
mon nature ? I challenge the whole host of man- 
kind, to find any thing but our own propensities 
and desires. And as man could not give to him- 
self these propensities and desires, we have the 
evidence along with them, that they were given 
to us by our Creator, as the best possible medi^ 



169 

um^ through which to effect his great end. He 
made us innocent creatures, and placed us here 
on earth, and had we been content in that state, 
we should have remained mere machines. — That 
being, which is the creature of another, if he is 
made complete at once, without the liberty of ex- 
ercising free agency, is a mere machine. But 
contrary to all the rest of creation, the Creator 
made and endowed us with the power of elect- 
ing for ourselves. He gave us passions — if we 
may call them passions — in order that we might 
seek after those things which we need, and which 
we had a right to experience and know. Yet, 
not without laying a restriction upon the immor- 
tal soul, saying, " thus far shalt thou go, and no 
farther ;" as was the charge to our first parents, 
when placed in the garden. They were endow- 
ed with a soul, which was to be kept in subjec- 
tion 5 which was to be kept under the divine di- 
rection in all its propensities, and not to allow 
them to exceed due bounds. Here is the proba- 
tion of the soul ; and the only pos&ible one, by 
which it could rise out of an innocent state, into 
a virtuous and a glorious one : to be an inhabi- 
tant of Heaven ; to be a communicant with its 
Creator, and the Grod of its existence and life. 

Oh! my friends, how glorious the view— -I 
say, how glorious the view, when we are brought 
to witness and to see how divine wisdom intend- 
ed we should rise from a state of mere innocen- 



170 

cy^ into a state of glorification^ by a conquest 
over all its enemies ; over every thing which 
could obtrude itself upon the soul^ or divert it 
from its proper duty. 

We need not look outward to find a devil ; 
we shall find enough in us. We read that there 
were seven devils cast out of Mary Magdalene. 
She had been a vile woman, who was given to a 
multitude of evil propensities, by the indulgence 
of which, she was brought completely under the 
power of them. Her rational spirit became en- 
listed in the service of the passions ; and seven 
propensities had been indulged in, till they be- 
came as devils to her. Here she went counter to 
the divine will. So now, Jesus quelled all these; 
and brouglit her into a sense of her desperate 
state. As she believed on him, and looked to 
him for help, — as she gave up to him, he ban- 
ished the evil spirits from her soul — he bound 
the strong man armed, and cast him out ; and as 
she was faithful, and sat down in humiliation at 
his feet, he spoiled all his goods. This produced 
a vacuum ; and this vacuum was filled with the 
holy presence. The Lord Almighty came in, 
in lieu of it, to reign over all. And these were 
all the devils that were cast out ; they were the 
passions which were inimical to man's happi- 
ness. 

The leprosy was a disease, and such was the 
superstition of that day ; such the darkness and 



171 

ignorance, that they were led to suppose, that 
there was some devil from without that had 
brought this disease upon them. This disease, and 
many others, were cleansed from the people by 
Jesus. He took upon him to cleanse the people-— 
he cured the lunatic. And what is lunacy ? It 
is a failing in man, it is a disease, which was 
then, may be now, and even is, sometimes sup- 
posed to be, by the foolish and credulous a spirit 
— an evil spirit. 

These things should show us our infirmity ; 
and teach us to trust in the Lord our God, for 
salvation and strength ; believing that if we in 
early life begin to attend to these things ; to the 
divine law, and the visitations of the holy spi- 
rit, all these things would be banished. But for 
the want of this, our imperfections lead us to 
turn away from him, who alone can save us ; 
and thus are we led astray and deluded. 

This we must conclude if we believe the scrip- 
tures, and our own experience : " They that 
trust in the Lord, shall never be confounded.'^ 
So that the great business of life, to the children 
of men is, to turn inward, to the witness of Grod 
in their own souls. We have many demonstra 
tions of this in the letter : but what does the let- 
ter do ? What has it ever done ? It can do no- 
thing. It is not a cause, but an effect. It might 
have a tendency, if we were willing-hearted, to 
attend to the divine grace, to push us to it ; to di 



rect us to it ; but it can do nothing more. The 
grace of God is the only thing that can produce 
the salvation of the soul of man: ^^For by grace are 
ye saved, through faith." We must not expect that 
the grace of God will save us, without faith in 
its sufficiency. There is but one way that I ever 
found, and that is, to be obedient to its teachings, 
and attentive to its operation upon the mind. 
As we attend to it, it will open our understand- 
ings ; we shall learn to know its excellency ; and 
in proportion as we are attentive to it, we shall 
love it for its excellency and goodness. " For by 
grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not 
of yourselves : it is the gift of God." 

How then shall we undertake to give a bro- 
ther or a father a belief? If we do it, what wicked 
and presumptuous creatures we are, because 
we take the place of God. We assume the 
place of God when we tell our brother, this is the 
right way ; my opinion is just right, and if thou 
do not come into it, thou art a heretic. A brother 
who does this, must be void of christian love ; 
otherwise he would never assume such a stand. 
He has not that love which leads every one to do 
what he thinks is right in the sight of his Hea- 
venly Father. If they do not see as he does, it 
may be because they are not fit to see as he does. 
They are not prepared in their own hearts. 
They are not enough subjected, so as to bring 
them to experience what their brother has expe- 



ITS 

iienced ; and yet in this darkness they would 
presume to rule their brother. Here is no bro- 
therly love existing. Look at it now, if we 
should suppose that some one should say, " My 
brother, thou must be constrained to come into 
my views.'' The brother says : " Not so, but 
thou must come into my views.'' Here now, con- 
tention and discord would enter, and every evil 
work prevail : but on the contrary, were they 
under the influence of brotherly love, they would 
be willing to say, each to the other, " mind thy 
own business ; thy Father hath given thee thy 
portion, and let it be what it may, be thou faith- 
ful. Do not mind me ; I am not to be thy teach- 
er ; I am not to be an example to thee, any fur- 
ther than my example corresponds with what 
God commands thee to do." 

Let us encourage each other, in pursuing the 
path of duty, as laid out by our Heavenly Fa- 
ther, and none else does know it. As long 
as we believe in the light, and continue to 
walk in the light, our intentions become set- 
tled and firm ; that we will do nothing but 
that which is right. We shall endeavour to pur- 
sue the right way in all things ; to do all the 
good we can, and as little harm as possible, in 
the world. These are resolutions which the di- 
vine light brings the soul into, when it comes un 
der its regulating influence. It brings the soul 
into its own nature, to do nothing but the 



174 

light thing. This will be its steady aim. But 
as finite creatures, though we might have no 
other motive than that of doing good; yet it 
is possible we may mistake, and do an inju- 
i*y in our dealings with others. But when our 
motives are correct, and we suppose that we 
are doing the best thing; but through a want of 
previous knowledge we do that which injures a 
brother, yet if he knows the sincerity of our 
heart, and believes that we are always striving 
to do the best thing ; it would make no uneasi- 
ness, no breach of brotherly love among us. 
Each one would continue to pursue his own 
straight course, with nothing in view, but to do 
all the good he could, and as little hurt as pos- 
sible. 

This is an excellent religion, when men are 
willing to come to it. 

These things have arisen from a view of the 
preciousness, the dignity, and majesty of divine 
love, as it has opened to me, since I stood up ; 
although, I saw but little when I first rose, but 
to endeavour to lead our minds home, that we 
might be enabled to act with propriety towards 
one another ; for I am clear, that it would be 
impossible for any thing to disturb our peace, 
however different our views, if we were acting 
under the influence of pure undefiled love. We 
should all harmonise and rejoice together, my 
beloved friends ; we should become as one fami- 
ly of love : and should experience the testimony, 



175 

that " the Lord's children are taught of the Lord, 
and great is the peace of these children." But 
when we look around and see how little righte- 
ousness there is among us, we are afraid to look ; 
we see so many inconsistencies, we hardly dare 
look, — we are afraid to examine. That even when 
an individual under the best concern or exercise, 
is led to point out to us the enormities we are 
guilty of in this land, they seem ready to turn it 
behind their backs. Then what must be done ? 
Let us " try all things ; prove all things, and hold 
fast that which is good.'' Did we enter into a 
close investigation of the one great principle of 
actions — justice, we should see how far we are 
in the performance of our duty to our fellow crea- 
tures. For we must be just before we are gene- 
rous. There can be no charity, no virtue, which 
has not justice for its foundation. 

Let us then inquire, are we doing any thing 
that oppresses them; are we doing any thing 
that strengthens the hand of the oppressor? 
Look to it my friends. You know that the 
receiver and the thief are considered equal. He 
that receives stolen goods is just as guilty as the 
one who steals them. Now, how oppression 
reigns in our land ; and how many goods there 
are which are even worse than stolen goods. 

I appeal to your common sense, my friends, 
whether to make a man labour and bring forth 
to us his goods, is not worse than stealing. There- 



176 

fore he tliat partakes of these stolen goods, is worse 
than the common thief. Our common understand- 
ing would dictate this to us, was it not for the pre- 
judice of education and tradition. But when we 
become accustomed to any thing, however evil it 
may be, if it has been sanctioned by usage, we 
find it extremely dijflicult to abandon it ; and par- 
ticularly, where we are individually interested 
in it. We are not willing to believe it. We do 
not want to see these things, and turn our backs to 
a serious search. In this case it is not difficult to 
know our duty, because the matter is so clear and 
plain : and there cannot be an individual who is 
willing to stand as an upright man or woman, 
but would be willing, if possible, to know where 
they were falling short. For they that can 
strengthen the hand of the oppressor in the least 
degree, how can this divine love come in, and 
fill their hearts, while they manifest a hatred to 
their fellow creatures? They who strengthen 
the hand of the oppressor, evidently manifest a 
hatred to the oppressed. There are many ways 
in which we oppress. This land is guilty of the 
oppression of human beings, and the crime lies 
as a dark cloud upon the nation. 

I consider it the duty of every individual to 
search into this subject. Oh ! my friends, let us 
strike at the very bottom ; and may we be led to 
go on hand in hand in the work. Let us join 
hand in hand in the resolution to do good; 



177 

and we shall be stimulated, to do all that we 
can to put an end to this cruel oppression in our 
land. Where injustice now reigns, justice would 
come up in its dignity and power; and the op- 
pressed would be relieved. The chains would 
be released from the necks of our fellow crea- 
tures; justice would be exalted, and come up to 
reign over all. We have hardly got our hands 
clear of our oppressed fellow creatures, and we 
sit down in ease, and keep encouraging those 
who are engaged in this cruel traffic. What is 
the difference whether I hold a slave, or purchase 
the produce of his labour from those who do? 
If I deal moderately with him, would it not be 
better to hold him myself? — I say, would it not 
be better to keep one in a moderate way ? 

Look to this, my friends. I see the scales 
that are upon the eyes of the people; — ^their 
prejudices are such, that it requires something 
powerful to break the scales from off their eyes. 
But let us make the case our own, and then we 
shall begin to see through a more impartial me- 
dium. Now here are dear parents, the fathers 
and mothers of children. Suppose the ty- 
rant should tear from you your dear sons and 
daughters, take them into the next county, put 
them under the iron yoke, and lash them every 
day, and deprive them of every liberty and en- 
joyment ; and above all, the liberty of free agen- 
cy, without which all other blessings are not 
z 



178 

worth enjoying; for nothing can be a blessing 
to a slave in this world. Look at it, my friends, 
and say, whether you could go over the line of 
a county, and traffic, and buy the produce of 
your tender offspring, who, through toil and 
bloodshed, had been compelled to labour at a 
tyrant's will. And is not the principle still the 
same, if we go a little further, and buy the pro- 
duce of our fellow creatures, who are not so 
nearly connected? Are we not all brethren? 
Have we any better right to oppress one who is 
not our immediate brother or sister, than we have 
to oppress one that is ? 

Oh ! that we might learn wisdom, before our 
iniquity becomes our ruin ! I say there is a black 
cloud hanging over us, and 1 can see no advance- 
ment that we can make till this greatest of evils 
is removed. There are many other evils and 
acts of injustice in the line of commerce and 
trade with one another, where we impose on one 
another, and do manifest injustice ; but these are 
so trivial and small compared with this great 
one, that I have little hope of improving in this 
respect, till the greater evil is banished from our 
land. And how quick it might be effected, were 
justice to reign — if we were all willing to be just 
men and women. 

Are we to reason about consequences, when 
the divine light shows us our sins ? If we leave 
off this sin, this or that will be the consequence ; 



179 

tlie tyrant may suffer by it ; we shall be taking 
away his living. Is this good reasoning? What 
matter is it about the tyrant ? We are called up- 
on to do that which is right and just; and are 
not to consider what the consequence will be. 

What if a thief should say to himself, " Now 
Ood calls on me to leave off this sin ; but I have 
been stealing a great while, and if 1 leave off 
this sin, I shall have no way to live.'' What 
should we think of an individual who would un- 
dertake to reason with the Most High in this 
way? We know he could not find favour in his 
sight. When we have sufficient evidence, we 
need not look any higher. When our own un- 
derstanding testifies to us that w^e are wrong, that 
we are unjust and unrighteous, shall we then wait 
for revelation ? Why it would be casting an in- 
dignity upon him, who gives us these lesser 
means, to convince us with the clearest demon- 
stration. Our own common sense is a sufficient 
evidence, and we need not look any higher. If 
we know an act to be unjust, no matter how wc 
come by the knowledge ; even if a child in the 
neighbourhood, should tell us of it, if we have 
evidence in ourselves that the child has spoken 
the truth, we have no need to look for higher evi- 
dence, because this may be the means under 
Heaven, by which our eyes should be opened. 

Whenever we come to the knowledge of a 
truth, no matter by what means, it is time then 



180 

for us to attend to it, and to leave off our injus- 
tice, if we are guilty of any. It is enough that 
we are convinced, even if it were by an inani- 
mate thing ; or if we are brought to see as Ba- 
laam was, by means of an ass. We have no 
right to look any higher, when we are convinced 
that any thing is the truth, and nothing but the 
truth. — Well is it not so? Can we want to 
go any where to be informed of our duty in this 
matter? Can any people have a better view of 
a subject than we have of this ? Could we know 
it better if we should ascend into Heaven ? 
No. Not any thing in Heaven can make it 
plainer than it is. All revelation, and all that 
is rational, can prove no more ; for our common 
sense proves indubitably that slavery is the most 
cruel and most Avicked of all things. We have 
the most self-evident proof; and in the great 
day of account, we dare not make the plea, and 
say, the Bible did not reveal it to me. The 
question will be, didst thou not see it by the 
light of reason, that was communicated to 
thee ? Did not thy common understanding con- 
vince thee? And still thou wouldst not believe I 
But we are not willing to believe, unless the Al- 
mighty will convince us by some great miracle. 
We are like the Jews, when they would not be- 
lieve the miracles of Jesus Christ. His disci- 
ples wanted him to bring down fire from Hea- 
ven. But he would not indulge them. 



181 

We know, to the utmost certainty, what slave- 
ry is, and not any thing in Heaven can make it 
plainer than it is. 

If we know it to be unjust, will we still wait 
for the Lord to tell us it is so ? He will never do 
it; for he has already done it, by the means 
which he appointed for that purpose. But being 
unjust to man in our common way of life — being, 
too many of us, in the way of darkness, we can 
have fellowship with the works of darkness; 
although we are called out of it all. 

I know not how to leave this subject, for my 
soul is in it. Oh ! may it be our desire and our 
resolution, my friends, willingly to take up the 
cross and despise the shame ; — although individ- 
uals may point the finger of scorn at us, and say 
it is a little thing — don't let us regard these things. 
We are not accountable to man, but to our Cre- 
ator, who is doing every thing to make the way 
plain and intelligibly clear to us. 

Can we have christian love, and strengthen 
the hand of an oppressor? Be sure we cannot, 
my friends. We are void of it, because we de- 
light in gratifying ourselves. Oh ! may we, in- 
dividually, sink deep into the consideration. 
Try these things, my friends, and search for 
yourselves. I do not desire, as a brother, to im- 
press my opinions upon you ; but only to give 
you my views, and leave them as a mirror for 
you to look into. I would not have any turn to 



182 

my views, merely because they are mine ; but 
because they are convinced of the irresistible 
truth of them. If they do not see as I do, it 
does not break my love with my fellow creatures c 
I am thankful — and this is the very pearl of my 
life — that I feel and continue to feel, nothing but 
love to flow to every creature under Heaven. 
Oh! how precious it is. ^^Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart 
of man, the things that God hath prepared for 
them that love him ;"-— that love him with that 
pure love, that hath all power, both in Heaven 
and in earth. Love is stronger than death, but 
jealousy is more cruel than the grave. 

I have never known or witnessed any evi- 
dence of fallen angels, but those who are fallen 
men and women. I believe there never were any 
other on this earth. Those whom the Lord has 
called, and who have been made partakers of the 
good things and power of the world to come, 
these when they fall away and become apostates, 
are fallen angels. For what are angels, but mes- 
sengers? As it is said: " He maketh his angels 
spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." 

Now we ought to take warning, my friends, 
till we become established. Not but that I be- 
lieve there is an arriving at a state of establish- 
ment beyond falling. But few arrive at it for 
want of faithfulness. Many make a good be- 



188 

ginning, but too few hold out to the end. It is 
not enough to begin well, and to run well for 
a while ; but we must persevere. For it is only 
those who endure to the end, that shall be saved» 
Now, those whom the Lord has blessed, and 
who have advanced in some degree to be his 
people ; and whom he has enabled by his grace 
to become useful in their day ; do sometimes fall 
off. Are not these fallen angels ? 

Oh ! let us deeply consider these things. 
Ever remember that it is not enough to begin 
well. How many there were brought out of 
Egypt, through the wilderness, who, neverthe- 
less, never entered into the promised land. They 
were afraid, they lost their confidence, when 
they came on the borders of Canaan. So it is 
with many who set out in the christian travel. 
They go on well for a while ; but when their life 
and all is to be given up, they fail. When we 
enter the conflict, and our lives are ready to be 
taken from us, how many ten thousands there are, 
in the present day, who, like the Israelites, have 
rebelled against God, and turned away from their 
former confidence. Let me repeat it again. It 
is not enough to begin well : it is not enough to 
run well for a while, and to get through the wil- 
derness, and in a good degree towards a state of 
establishment ; because the greatest trial that we 
find, is at the end of the conflict ; when we come 
to the point where all must be given up ; where 



184 

our lives must be considered as nothing to usi- 
See our great example; lie had his conflicts, 
his trials, and temptations ; when his life and all 
was to be given up. How trying the scene ! how 
painful ! He was brought to cry out, in anxious 
concern to his Father. Yea, in his prayer, he 
was brought to sweat, as it were, great drops of 
blood, and nature felt the desire to escape this 
suffering. " If it be possible. Father, let this 
cup pass from me.'^ But see the example — '' not 
my will, but thine be done.'' Oh ! believe me, 
here in this trial many shrink back, and become 
as dead lights. 

Oh ! may we be encouraged to faithfulness : 
Oh ! may we be led in due time, to see our own in- 
sufficiency, and to ciy out, " My God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me." These things we 
must go through, if we continue to the end. If 
we persevere in faithfulness, we must be brought 
to the time in which all must be given up : yea, 
the death of the cross must be our experience. 
Therefore, let us take courage and persevere on, 
whether life or death, let us keep our eye single 
to the divine light, to our holy leader, and he 
will carry us through, over all, to name the name 
of that great and adorable name. Let us, there- 
fore, in confidence of this, be willing to thank 
God and take courage. 



SERMON VIII. 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS' MEETING-HOUSE, NEWTOWN, IN 
BUCKS COUNTY, ON FIFTH DAY MORNING, 9tH OF TWELFTH 



Some men and some women seem to show an 
aversion to all order and discipline^ as if it was 
not necessary, since we are all to be governed 
by one principle and power in ns; as though it 
would be right for every one to be left to act in- 
dependently one of another. This must arise 
from a want of a right knowledge of ourselves^ 
and of the God that made us. 

The first step to true knowledge, is to know 
ourselves. But do we, individually, improve the 
understanding that we are blessed with, by our 
great Creator? Do we improve by the things 
that we see, and hear, and know ? Did we do 
this, we should come to have a true knowledge 
of ourselves, and of the great Author of our be- 
ing. We should come to know and believe, that 
he is a being perfect in knowledge ; and that by 
him all our actions are weighed. Now to come 
to know this is no secret ; it is no hard thing, 
nor is it difficult ; because we may learn it by 
our every day's experience. We learn it from a 
A a 



186 

consciousness within us, of having done riglit or 
wrong; because whenever we do amiss, and turn 
aside from the path of rectitude, we find some- 
thing in us, that impeaches us, that brings guilt 
and remorse upon us. Now what is this, my 
friends ? It certainly is something invisible to 
the outward senses of animal man ; yet we know 
it to exist in us. There is nothing more self- 
evident to us than this fact ; and here it is, then, 
through this medium, that we are to get right 
knowledge, right ideas, and right views of the 
divine character. As he is perfect in wisdom 
and knowledge ; so he is a God of order. We 
behold this, even with our external eyes, when 
we behold the lieavens, and tlie earth, the moon 
and the stars ; and when we behold them con- 
tinuing in that beautiful order, in which he ar- 
ranged tliem by his eternal la\> s. 

Although these vast bodies of inanimate mat- 
ter, can be in no respect accountable in them- 
selves, for their conduct, still we see them so 
arranged by infinite wisdom, and placed in such 
beautiful order, that they never interfere with 
cacli other. They never run foul of one another: 
and when we consider them rightly, they bring 
us to see, that these inanimate bodies may be 
considered as social beings, having intercourse 
with eacli other, and helping each other, by 
which they are continued in that excellent order, 
in which they were originally arranged. 



187 

Behold the outward sun, how wonderfully it 
operates upon the earth and upon our hodies, by 
its light and heat. It emits them powerfully, 
not only upon man, but upon the beasts and 
herbs of the field. These great bodies, these 
vast orbs, though inanimate in themselves, have 
a most wonderful effect upon every thing around 
them. What would become of us, and of our 
earth, were it not for the enlivening beams of 
the sun? Although it emits so much, yet it 
never lessens. It is like an epitome for us ; it 
is like an index for us to act by, as social be> 
ings. If we were willing to exercise the power 
that God has given us, and to keep in that ar- 
rangement and order, which he has fixed for his 
creature man, how we might emit blessings, and 
yet lose nothing. Every thing that goes from 
us returns again to us, just as the light and heat 
that the sun gives to us, returns back to the 
fountain from whence it came. He never lessens 
in consequence of what he imparts to others, but 
his power and his excellence always continue 
the same. 

And how we may be instructed by the move- 
ment of the earth, in its eccentric orbit around 
the sun. When it passes away from the sun, it 
enters into a colder region ; and if the light and 
heat were taken from it, its weight would be- 
come much greater, and being heavier, it would 
be thrown from its proper orbit, and of course, 



188 

It might run foul of other bodies. But we see^ 
that in the arrangement of divine wisdom, it re- 
turns again ; it comes round into its proper place. 
So it has been through all ages past, and so it 
will continue, through the eternal ages to come. 

All the heavenly bodies will keep in that ar- 
rangement, which eternal and infinite wisdom 
designed for them. We see these vast orbs of 
light ; the moon and stars ; and we have the 
most indubitable evidence and circumstances, to 
prove, that all the light whicli the moon has, is 
derived from that sun, from which we derive our 
light; and it is acted upon according to divine 
wisdom. Here we see harmonious and social 
commune, in these inanimate bodies. 

What great teaching! how wonderful the dis- 
<:overj ! Here now, man, although in himsielf 
small, v/hen compared with the earth, and these 
vast bodies of matter, still, has something in 
him, which is immortal ; something which came 
from God, and which must return to him. Our 
immortal spirits receive all their light from that 
celestial and invisible Sun, which is the creator 
of all things. He emits of his excellency to us; 
and yet he does not lessen, but remains eternal- 
ly the same; for all that comes from him will 
return to him again. There is a continual cir- 
culation, the same as we witness upon the eartli 
on which we live. All the rivers which run to 
the sea, and to the mighty ocean, comprehending 



189 

all the waters of the earth, return back through 
invisible channels, to repleuish the fountains and 
to renew their former course, in rivers and streams. 
So it will be with us, as accountable creatures to 
our God ; for we have nothing but what comes 
from God ; nothing but what has emanated from 
his love ; and therefore we are accountable to 
him, for all we have received. 

Now, when we feel the warming beams of 
the Sun of righteousness ; the great source of all 
perfection, of all light and knowledge, and of eve- 
ry thing that can console a rational mind ; — 
when we are filled with his goodness, when it 
shines upon the soul and enlightens and warms 
it, still nothing is lost from the great fountain, 
because, as the soul is attentive, it will return all 
back again, as a tribute to him. 

Here then, we learn and come to know and un- 
derstand, that man, as a social being, must be 
regulated by order and discipline ; for as God 
is perfect, in all knowledge and wisdom, so he 
will remain to be a God of order. No doubt it 
will be so perfect, that it will certainly prevent 
his rational creatures from running foul of one 
another ; as we see in relation to the heavenly 
bodies, that they never run foul of each other. 
They, however, impart to, and receive from, 
each other, to their mutual benefit, and by it 
they are but answering the grand design. When 
we look at comets in their unknown path, be 



190 

yond our feeble comprehension ; how reasonable 
it is to suppose, that, in passing through the im- 
mense space allotted to them, they impart to the 
bodies, by which they pass, and likewise, that 
those various and distant orbs return something 
to them, which they with equal fidelity transmit 
to the sun, upon whom they are themselves de- 
pendant. 

Just so, rational beings are made social be- 
ings, that they may be a blessing to each other ; 
that each may impart sometliing to his fellow, in 
return for what he may himself receive. Each 
can be doing good to the other ; and if they are 
kept under the influence of divine love, there 
never will be any jumbling ; and they never 
will run foul of each other. It is impossible, in 
the nature of things. Therefore, there would be 
no fault found, respecting right order and disci- 
pline, in the associations of the children of men; 
and especially among those who are considered 
religious communities and associations. In these 
associations, order and discipline are not only 
requisite, but absolutely necessary ; they cannot 
do without them. But this discipline and order 
must be that which is fixed by the divine lawgiv- 
er ; and then if there is any occasion found to 
violate it, it must be in consequence of its having 
been perverted by the children of men. Now 
here we may see that the great end and design of 
the Almighty is, to have order among the children 



191 

of men. We can see tlie necessity of it^ what- 
ever our profession may be ; and so necessary 
and important is it, that there cannot be a hap- 
py family without it, among the children of men. 
Grod forbid. It is impossible. 

Every pious parent, every one who has a 
right to be considered a child of God — and none 
can be considered so, but those who are led by 
the spirit of God — will see the absolute necessi- 
ty, and they will be led by the light in their own 
souls, to form a discipline for regulating and or- 
dering their families. And if it arises from di- 
vine light in the soul, it will be so arranged 
among the several branches, that they will ne- 
ver blunder over one another, or hurt, or wound 
one another. Therefore, all the fault that can 
be found, must arise from a counterfeit of its 
meaning, suiting it to their own desires — their 
own aggrandizement, — to make them lords in 
their several places. 

Here it is, that many schemes of order and 
discipline, which are set up, stand in direct op- 
position to the order of God, and therefore they 
are soon found fault with, and very justly so ; be- 
cause they must lead to disorder instead of order. 
To know right discipline, there is but one way, 
and that is, to investigate ourselves with the light 
and understanding with which we are blessed. 
We must do this, for this is the way to trace 
causes by their ejBFects. Man is the effect of 



192 

God's love; the effect of GocFs power; and the 
design of the Almighty, who is an all- wise be- 
ing. And here now, as this effect is rightly 
known ; as we consider rightly and under a 
right direction, with respect to our real being, we 
are brought to see that God has made us all 
equal, by which social order comes to be estab- 
lished, and right discipline. We thus become 
confirmed in such a way, that we never injure one 
another, in our progress througli this probationa- 
ry state. But as far as we keep to it, we are 
constantly emitting something, like the planeta- 
ry orbs of a lower order, which receive their light 
from the sun. 

The glorious sun may be considered as a repre- 
sentation and index of the Holy One: the moon 
and stars are acting under divine direction, and 
like so many beings, and always emitting a part, 
in regular order, as designed by omnipotence. We 
see and observe, that the moon, although it is so 
far distant from us, has an eft'ect upon our earth, 
and upon us; which shows the wisdom of 
the Almighty, through which, by his infinite 
power, he keeps all things in order, according 
to his great design. 

We see these vast inanimate bodies moving in 
this holy order, and cannot but admire the mag- 
nificence, the beauty and the harmony of the 
whole. Then should we not be concerned to 
know our own orbit, in the great family of man- 



193 

kind ; that we miglit be enabled to move in our 
proper place^ and never interrupt a brother or a 
sister, or cause a jumble in the creation of God? 

I am confirmed in the belief, that if we were 
individually ccmcerned, to turn inward to the 
divine light, we should be enabled to accomplish 
this. For there is nothing that can instruct us in 
this line of order, but what may be seen, by the 
emitting of his light and power into our souls in 
our separate orbits. As the moon receives all 
its light from the sun, for itself, in the first place, 
so by that means it is enabled to emit a part of 
the power received, to the next orb ; and here 
the heavenly order is kept up. So it has been 
through all the previous eternal ages, and so it 
will continue to all future ages. The order of 
God cannot be broken; and therefore we con- 
clude, from these reflections, that all the endless 
regions of unmeasured space, are filled up with 
worlds, containing suns, moons, stars, and the 
like, according to the divine ordering ; and that 
these are passing through from one to another, 
as social beings. We may in a degree consider 
so, and that by the great first cause acting upon 
them, they are kept in that holy order, in which 
divine wisdom placed them. 

We cannot conceive that there is a vacuum, 

but that every part of the boundless regions of 

unmeasured space, is filled up and supplied in 

its proper order. Because if there was a vacuum 

B b 



194 

m any part of this unmeasured space, and uo= 
thing occupied the place, these vast orbs might 
be likely to scatter off, into that poi-tion of un- 
limited space. 

No, my friends, all is filled according to the 
wisdom and goodness of Grod ; and all is oper- 
ating together, to effect his great purpose. How 
much we might learn from these views, if we 
would be consistent, and investigate rightly. 
Each individual of us may be considered as a mi- 
crocosm, a little world, in which there is con- 
tained a kingdom, where the Almighty works 
and acts, leads and directs. And were it not for 
our stubborn resistance, he would lead us in 
such a way, that we should always move under 
the all- wise direction of the Supreme Ruler : and 
thus we should be kept right, and we should 
never run foul of each other, or in any way in- 
jure each other. Then that holy harmony in- 
tended by the Creator would be preserved. But 
when we attempt to set up order, contrived in 
our own wisdom, it has a contrary effect ; for it 
divides but does not unite. 

Now, we are not to complain of right order 
and discipline, because it is abused, under the hy- 
pocritical pretence of those who want to be their 
own orderers and directors ; who, in their own 
wisdom, form creeds of faith, opposed to the 
direct order of truthand wisdom. They are all in 
darkness; they all lead to death and discord 5 but 



195 

it does not follow that because the order which 
is set up in man's wisdom^ is not productive of 
concord and harmony, that all order is therefore 
unnecessary. No, my friends, this is going to 
the other extreme. I delight in order ; and I 
have found the blessed benefit of it in myself. 
We have a great need of order in ourselves, and 
we have a great deal to govern. All the propen- 
sities and desires which we feel moving so pow- 
erfully in us, are to be governed and kept within 
due bounds ; and we cannot do this, unless the 
immortal spirit is under the immediate direction 
of our Creator, and completely passive to his 
power. We must come to be like the inanimate 
earth, and other inanimate bodies which have no 
will of their own. They never diverge from the 
order which God designed. They preserve the 
order which he allotted to them ; and this shows 
us, that if we would become subject to right or- 
der, we must first come to the same passive state ; 
we must come to be like the inanimate earth. That 
is, we must feel that we have no capacity to do 
any thing, or to seek wisdom, only as it comes 
from the Holy One. For as all knowledge is 
comprehended in him, therefore man cannot de- 
vise any wisdom or knowledge, from any other 
source, but this eternal source ; that is, from the 
light and spirit of God in our souls. 

All other wisdom is foolishness with God„ 
Every kind of wisdom which we derive from 



196 

without, by the exercise of our free agency, is 
foolishness with God ; and leads us to run foul 
of each other, and make a jumble in God's cre- 
ation. It turns all things upside down; and in- 
stead of enabling us to answer the end of our 
creation, by glorifying God and enjoying fellow- 
ship with him ; it engenders strife and conten 
tion, and every evil work by which man can be 
made miserable on earth. 

It is the hardest part of man's work, while in 
this probationary state, to be willing to become 
nothing, or to be any thing that the Lord is 
pleased to make him. It is hard for us to come 
down to do what we consider his righteous work 
without looking for a reward for doing it. Now 
look, my friends, for a moment. Can such men 
and women, who are looking for a reward, be 
any thing but selfish creatures ? Do they not 
love themselves better than they love God? If 
he will not reward them, they would turn their 
backs upon him. What a contemptible state is 
tliis ! We will only do righteously because we 
are to be rewarded for it, and cease to do wick- 
edly because we must be punished for it. Do 
we not see, that while this is the case and con- 
dition, we are selfish creatures, alienated and 
separated from God? When we get into a right 
state, and come to be passive, like those inani 
mate bodies, then we shall be willing to be re 
gulated by his law and light. 



197 

Mere now we see the difference between those 
inanimate bodies, and the creatures which Grod 
has endued with an immortal part, or with 
that understanding and knowledge, which was 
necessary to effect the great and glorious 
end of their creation. Yet all must be in sub- 
servience to the divine mind of the great pre- 
server of his creatures. Here now, when we 
come to search ourselves, and behold our own 
impotence and weakness; and to find that of 
ourselves we can do nothing aright, we shall be 
brought to the conclusion that there is but one 
good, and that is God 5 that there is but one who 
knows good, and that is God. Man can never 
know good but as he derives the knowledge from 
this unchangeable source of good, of wisdom, 
and of knowledge. When man is brought to 
see his own imperfections, to bow down and 
yield obedience to God, and become passive like 
the earth, as I observed, or as expressed by the 
parable that Jesus put forth to the people, in his 
day — " The kingdom of God cometh not with 
outward observation : for behold the kingdom of 
God is within you ;" and the kingdom of God is 
not a kingdom of this world. No, the kingdom 
of the Lord's children is not of this world, as 
Jesus, the first born of perfection, that we have 
a particular account of, among men, declared, 
that the kinsdom of God is not of this world. 



198 

Now let us have a care, my friends, that we 
do not suffer these improper desires to gain 
ground, by giving way to the desires that lead 
after glory and honour, to take part in the king- 
doms of the world and of Grod, at the same time. 
We cannot be heirs of both kingdoms at the 
same time. Here we are brought to see, that if 
we are heirs of God we cannot touch or take 
part in the governments of the world ; because 
they stand eternally in opposition to the govern- 
ment of the God of heaven. Why? Because 
all their laws are made in the wisdom of man, 
which is foolishness with God. And yet they 
are necessary among those who are thus igno- 
rant and behind hand in knowledge, to keep men 
from violent acts, and from hurting one onother ; 
but that is no reason that the law of the Almigh- 
ty should not prevail. Because that will super- 
sede all laws, made by the children of men on 
earth. It will lead us to do good in such a 
manner that other law s will never operate to our 
hurt. If we are faithful; if we come under 
the regulating influence of God in our souls, it 
will take away the necessity of all other laws 
from us ; and they will let us live in peace, eve- 
ry where upon the earth, without any molesta- 
tion. It will rejoice the rulers, that a portion of 
the people never give them any trouble, by vio^ 
lating the laws. 

Here now, being brought into the divine na- 



199 

ture, every thing that emits from us, is light in a 
degree ; the same as that which emits from the 
Holy One to his children. And here, as every 
soul has a witness for Grod in itself, so that wit- 
ness bears testimony to the righteousness of 
these, and in such a manner that the worst men 
are obliged to leave them, and cannot take up 
sword against them. Let them be scattered 
where they may, they piust see all in this way, 
and understand the law and discipline in our 
souls. Here we shall have confidence to be- 
lieve, that none of the nations of the earth would 
harm us — that not all the wickedness of men 
would do us any injury. We having the wit- 
ness in ourselves, the wisdom of Grod would so 
manifest itself, that we should all be the best of 
friends, and ready to do each other every good. 
Here we should see the way, and behold the me- 
dium by which we should experience and know 
gradually — even as individuals came to it, so 
would societies and nations ; — by which the pro- 
phecy would be fulfilled : '' And they shall beat 
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears 
into pruning hooks : nation shall not lift up 
sword against nation, neither shall they learn 
war any more." We should all feel that kind 
of confidence, that we should never have need 
of a sword, so long as we were under the regulat- 
ing influence of the Lord's discipline. It would 
be as the power of light over every heart. Do 



200 

not think that if we come to this alone it is suffi- 
cient. We are made social beings in respect to 
one another, and we need right order and disci- 
pline ; but this right order and discipline must be 
of God; it must not be the contrivance of men and 
mortals. And as to the outward letter of it, it 
would be very small and concise; for all have, at 
a certain age, the law within themselves, and 
yet, though they have the law in themselves, 
still they have propensities and desires at their 
command, that this law seems not to be a re- 
straint to. Here we see it to be so, because it is 
a truth, that all have sinned and come short of 
the glory of God. And why was it so? Be- 
cause we had not learned to know the diflTerence 
between good and evil, and we undertook to 
know it ourselves ; and presumed to indulge our 
propensities beyond due bounds ; and not being 
subject to the divine law, we enlist in these pas- 
sions and propensities, which, though necessary, 
yet they may be abused. They bring about our 
probationary state — a state needful — a state ne- 
cessary to enable man to rise from the state into 
which he has fallen, or in which he has been crea- 
ted, into a state of true wisdom and knowledge, in- 
to a greatness of soul, prepared to inhabit Heaven 
and the realms of bliss, with God and the spirits 
of just men made perfect. Here we grow into one 
degree of knowledge after another. We must be 
children before we are men. Children bring no 



201 

knowledge with them into the world ; they must 
learn every thing here. Here we see the necessity 
of discipline in families. No man or woman is fit 
to b€ a parentj till they come to know the Lord's 
discipline in themselves; for until they know 
this, how can they form a discipline for their 
children? The parent is to account for them, 
while they have no judgment of their own, there- 
fore, it is their business to govern all their pro- 
pensities and passions, and not suffer their an- 
ger to rise, and poison their hearts. They are 
not to indulge their children improperly : to leave 
them to themselves, without discipline, is very 
wrong. The parent must come to know and act 
willingly, and not till then, are they fit to be pa- 
rents : or, in other words, till they submit to the 
holy law ; for the law of God is the cross of the 
soul. 1 say that it is not fit, that men and wo- 
men should have children till they are willing to 
come here and wait for the blessing. 

I would not have them put off uniting in mar- 
riage, by which the Almighty designed in his 
wisdom, that our species should be propagated, 
and be multiplied upon the earth. No, because 
the first choice that a rational soul ought to make^ 
when he feels a capacity to receive a law, is to 
submit himself to the discipline of the divine law 
in the soul ; — and he must feel that it comes, as 1 
have observed. We have a consciousness when 
we have done wrong ; which could not be the 



202 

case unless we had a decisive rule which speaks 
peace and joy to our good acts, and trouble to 
our transgressions. As soon as the dear youth feel 
this, then is their time to lay hold of this great 
and excellent teacher. If they would seek God 
and be willing to be governed by his law, and 
the dictates of his light in their souls ; then, pre- 
vious to arriving at a state of manhood, suitable 
to unite together in conjugal bands — they would 
previous to this, make that great and blessed 
choice, to "seek the kingdom of God, and 
his righteousness ;" and they would feel and be- 
lieve the truth of the testimony of Jesus, that 
^^all these things shall be added unto you.'^ 
That is, every thing that can make us happy in 
time, and confirm our happiness in eternity. If 
we are willing to come under the iniluence of 
the divine law, and be passive in the divine 
hand, and never suffer our desires or propensi- 
ties to rise higher than the will of God allows ; 
he will give us every thing good; and we shall 
feel the holy influence of his power, and every 
desire of the soul will be answered. All things 
will be given for these poor bodies, that they 
need ; we shall be blessed, not only with the 
dew of Heaven, but with the fatness of the earth, 
to keep us in a situation for which we should re- 
turn thanks. 

It would bring us to witness in our own solid 
experience, the truth of what the apostle said : 



203 

^* Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing, lii 
every thing give thanks.'' For so it is with the 
devoted soul^ who becomes passive under the 
divine law. He is continually in a state of re- 
joicing,-— continually in *a state of prayer. 

When the soul is brought to see its own impo- 
tence ; that it must receive every thing, — every 
blessing from the hand of God, it then aspires 
to God. Here it is, that the soul feels a state in 
which it is willing to return thanksgiving to him„ 
It is then reduced to that state, in which it is 
kept under the regulating influence and law of 
divine light and power. 

Now, in the way of discipline : the Quaker 
discipline ought to be a right one ; for it professes 
to be founded upon this light of truth, — this light 
of Heaven. It ought to be so good, that no fault 
could be found with it. It would be so if we 
were only faithful. But, alas ! instead of mak- 
ing this choice, to seek the kingdom of God and 
his righteousness, we are too much like others^ 
in the letter. We want to be taught by our out- 
ward senses ; by something suited to our own 
carnal desires. Where the discipline is based 
upon, and made of, counterfeit things, it does 
more hurt than good, — and by an improper exe- 
cution of it. 

There is no fault to be found with the disci- 
pline of the true Quaker ; for what I mean by a 
true Quaker is a trembler before Almighty God; 



204 

one that has been humbled in the manner that I 
expressed, that trembles at his word. Oh ! that 
we were all of this kind ; then all our care 
would be to adopt no order that would hurt or 
wound ; but all would have a tendency of emit- 
ting to one another, strength and confirmation in 
the way of righteousness. 

O my beloved friends, I mention these things, 
that we may be in a way of improvement. For 
1 am persuaded, that whatever the views of 
this assembly may be, — however wc may dif- 
fer in religious views, yet there is but one 
right view ; and that is, to come to seek first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 
What way is this to be done ? There is no other 
way but to come to the light of truth in our 
hearts ; and this is the Quaker principle, that 
nothing is right, but what flows from this divine 
light and love in the soul. Then, I conceive, 
that all the professors of religion, the world over, 
if they would come to this, would all be Qua- 
kers, if I may so express it. Not that I would 
set Quakers above others, but I consider a true 
Quaker, a child of God. Therefore, every one 
under heaven, that does right, is a Quaker ; be- 
cause the name was given in reproach, to those 
who trembled at the fear of the Lord. There 
are such, I make no doubt, all over the world, 
though unhappily the number is small — espe- 
cially of those who feel their way so clear, that 



205 

there is nothing to hinder their continual joy 
and rejoicing. There is nothing in the way but 
our own wills, and therefore, if we would come 
to see in what true enjoyment consists, we must 
keep up the mortification of the will, by keep- 
ing in view the divine law, which is a cross to 
fallen man. 

Now may I a little apply these things. We 
are together a mixed company; but let us all take 
up a resolution, to be governed by that divine 
light which gives us a consciousness of good and 
evil in our own minds. For it is as clear as the 
light of the outward sun, which reveals to us out- 
ward objects, and it gives us such evidence as 
enables us to discern between thing and thing. 
The outward sun brings things to us through 
the medium of our external senses. And this 
divine light, or internal sun, is a revealer of se- 
crets to the rational soul, and reason is the ba- 
lance power in the soul, and is to make use of 
what revelation has furnished it with. Man is 
nothing without this internal sun. We see that 
if it was not for the light of the sun outwardly, 
all would be darkness~-our reason Avould be of 
no use; we might all die together, and drop 
down into a state of annihilation. But as that 
orb shines upon us, it warms us, and causes ani- 
mation to all the creation, under the influence and 
direction of the divine law. So it is that it reveals 
all things here, wM^h are visible to us. It is eer- 



206 

tainly a revelation in outward things^ as God is a 
revealer of secrets in the soul, or of things that 
are hidden. 

It is a great truth, that no man " knoweth the 
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is 
in him." What is the spirit of man, in his ani- 
mal nature? It is the air and hreath of this 
world, that animates his animal hody, and gives 
it action. The eye is opened by it, and the ear 
acts in its proper sphere. And here it is, through 
this medium, that the sun reveals all those things 
which would be secret, unless by its shining they 
are rendered visible. So, "the things of God 
knoweth no man,'^ but as God, who is the sun 
of the spiritual world, reveals them to him. And 
we stand in as much need to have the things 
that relate to God and his kingdom manifested 
to us by the light of this internal sun, as a man 
has need of the revelation of the outward sun in 
things that relate to the external world. To 
know the things of God and heaven, we need a 
light from heaven : and this sun is no where else 
to be found, but in our own souls. It is there 
we must see it. And as we become willing to 
wait, as in the night season, for the rising of the 
sun in its own time, so we must wait for the 
light of heaven. Because he withdraws for a 
time, we are not to rise up in the night season, to 
seek by a light of our own kindling, by sparks of 



207 

our own kindling, for if we do, we shall have to 
lie down in sorrow. 

Here now, when this is the case, the things 
in the law of God are explained, and opened to 
our minds; the rational soul has materials, spi- 
ritual materials, to look over and consider whether 
there is any thing that is imprudent, any thing 
that is a counterfeit. For we find that antichrist 
transforms himself into an angel of light, to de- 
ceive, and if possible, would deceive the very 
elect. I say, if antichrist brings any thing up 
which has a counterfeit appearance, our reason 
is a balancing principle. And here, if it is kept, 
and has been kept in right order, we shall dis- 
cern between truth and error; because reason 
and truth, and the law of God, never act con- 
trary to the understanding given to the rational 
soul. 

Right reason is as much a gift of God, as any 
gift that we can receive. Therefore, nothing but 
the rational soul is a recipient for divine revela- 
tion; and when the light shines uponjit, and 
shows any object, reason brings it to the test. 
If it is kept in the right order, and under the 
regulating influence of the divine law, it brings 
things to balance, and it is brought to know 
every thing which may rise up, although at first 
sight. If it will not accord with right reason, 
we must cast it off as the work of antichrist. All 
that the Almighty requires of us, will always 



208 

result in reality ; and we are not to believe any 
thing which does not so result. Here now we 
see how easy it is to go along, if we pursue the 
right course : but as free agents, we can reason 
ourselves into a belief that wrong is right. Just 
as Bala^am did, when he was commanded not to 
curse Israel. Yet, we find when there was a 
greater temptation, he reasoned himself into a 
belief that he might go. He made a condition 
with the Almighty : I will go, but when I am 
there, I will do nothing but that which thou 
shalt show me to do. 

Is not this the way we have every one of us 
done, when we have been brought under the in- 
fluence of evil ? Have we not frequently been 
staggered by powerful temptations, and been 
sorely put to it, when the temptation has been 
augmented by promises of greater pleasure? 
Have we not been unwilling to receive an an- 
swer from the Almighty, imagining that he was 
like ourselves, and might be persuaded to give 
us our great boon. We see that Balaam's will 
brought him into a state of darkness, till he 
gradually hardened his heart : but he was pre- 
vented from cursing Israel, and he blessed them. 
Yet, he went on in his own way, to instruct the 
children of that people to deceive Israel, and 
bring down the displeasure of the Almighty up- 
on them ; and so it is now among the children of 
men. By men and women not yielding to the 



209 

first conviction, and by tampering with the Ah 
mighty, they reason themselves into a belief, 
that they may do things v^^hich have been for- 
bidden them, and which are not consistent with 
his holy will, or with righteousness. Look at 
the many evil things among those who profess 
to be Christians. How could these things be, if 
they were not doing just as Balaam did? 

Here men, by reasoning against the truth, bring 
themselves to a belief, that they may hold a fel- 
low creature in slavery. This arises from no- 
thing but covetousness ; for it is impossible for 
any national soul ever to believe it right to take 
away the liberty of his fellow creature. He 
views it and imagines great advantages, and it 
operates upon him as it operated upon Balaam; 
when greater princes were sent, and greater re° 
wards were offered, he reasoned himself into a 
belief that he might go. So men and women have 
reasoned themselves into a belief, and seem to be 
serious in the matter, that they may hold a fellow 
creature in slavery, and still do right. But it is 
impossible for it ever to be done right, upon the 
face of the earth. It never was right, and never 
can be right. Well then, we ought to be guarded 
how we meddle with those beings who thus hold 
their fellow creatures in bondage, lest by reason- 
ing ourselves into a belief of the righteousness 
of the custom, we sanctify it by carnal reasoning. 
If we are not social beings, and love to be inde° 
B d 



210 

pendent of each other, this may do ; but if we are 
social beings, an obligation attaches to each of us, 
that we fill up our places with propriety in our so- 
cial communion with the children of men, and that 
we have no fellowship with these works of dark- 
ness, but reprove them, and withdraw our hand 
from doing any thing to countenance or encour- 
age them, to the perversion of all righteousness. 
What an effect it would have, were the multi- 
tude of us to say, it is wrong, and we will have 
no fellowship with those who do it. What a 
blessed effect it would have. We see that free 
labour is more profitable than slave labour. And 
here, by withholding our patronage — here by 
this upright step we should compel our beloved 
fellow creatures to set their slaves free, because 
it is just as easy to set them free as to keep them 
in bondage. Nay, it takes tenfold more trouble 
to keep them in bondage, than to set them free ; 
because when we set them free, we have done 
our duty toward them ; and if we are willing to 
pay them all the overplus we wrest from them, 
it would be an atonement to the God of Heaven 
for the offence : but till we come to this, what 
must be the consequence ? Oh ! that we might 
search this subject to the bottom ; for we are all 
impeachable more or less. It is in our power if 
we please, to cause all to be set free immediate- 
ly ; because a thing that is wrong, and in oppo- 
sition to divine justice, and God making it mani- 



211 

fest to us, we have no right to procrastinate till 
a more convenient season. Because a man says 
he cannot do without the help of slaves, shall 
we conclude it must be so ? Is this any thing but 
selfishness ? It is all in the fallen wisdom of the 
creature, and for which we shall have to give an 
account by and by. I hope we may all see the 
day, when this subject will be viewed in its 
propel* light, and when every one of us may be 
enabled to have a correct sense of the injustice 
which is now practised. 

A word to the wise is sufficient ; and these 
truths are so plain and self-evident, that all may 
see and understand them, but those who will not 
see them. 

Can we for a moment suppose, that it would 
not be right, for every slave, within the govern- 
ment in which we live, to be set free to-morrow ? 
Do we not believe it would be the safest, even 
for those who hold them in bondage ? Can we 
suppose, that, when we are oppressing a fellow 
creature, and taking from him wrongfully his li- 
berty and labour, if we should set him at liber- 
ty and do him justice, he would be revengeful t© 
us ? No. It would reconcile him, and make him 
feel towards us as a brother ; and instead of his 
seeking to hurt us, he would be willing to do us 
good. 1 have no doubt it would be so. 

Were the poor enslaved African set free, and 
the thing fairly explained to him, it would result 



212 

in a blessing to him and to the one who thus gives 
him his liberty. I have not the least doubt of this ; 
because, I am sure, that every just act, is a bless- 
ing to them who do it, and to them to whom it is 
done. It is the design of the Almighty that it 
should be so, and therefore the principle can ne- 
ver change. " What doth the Lord require of 
man, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and 
to walk humbly with his God?'^ Here is com- 
prehended all the duty of man. 

What is it to do justly? It is to be regulated 
under the influence of the divine law, and to 
look to that law, always acting in our proper 
place, and doing what we are convinced to be 
right, under the influence of the light of God 
in our souls; and by which every act of our 
lives may be a blessing to ourselves and neigh- 
bours. It would lead to harmony and love ; be- 
cause justice has a tendency to produce concord 
and good agreement. Can a man be an enemy 
to us, if we have, from our childhood been per- 
fectly just to him? Among these acts of justice^ 
there would be like acts of mercy. If they were 
poor and needed help, justice would induce us 
to help them. This would be an act of mercy, 
and every good act would grow out of that char- 
ity, that covers a multitude of faults. Under 
the influence of the laws of immutable justice, 
all men would love him. It never could be 
otherwise. This would be the feeling of the 



213 

poor slaves^ however degraded they may be. 
Who has brought upon them this degradation ? 
It is not they who have brought it upon them- 
selves. It is their cruel masters. Therefore, 
as their degradation grew out of oppression and 
bondage ; when justice is done to them they will 
be ready to rejoice in their hearts ; and all the 
revenge that they might have meditated would 
be softened down, and driven from their minds. 
They Would become reconciled as brethren, and 
peace would prevail. 

O, my friends, let us no longer reason after 
the manner of flesh and blood, by procrasti- 
nating this justice. If it is but little that we can 
do, that little ought to be done quickly. No 
matter how small the sacrifice, it is as necessary 
that it should be yielded up, as though it was of 
much greater consequence. By little things 
great things are made ; and of course, if the in- 
habitants of our land only, who protest against 
the injustice of this oppression, should use their 
best endeavours, it would produce its proper ef- 
fect. Let us then no longer be guilty of the sin 
of keeping our fellow creatures in bondage, by 
purchasing the labour of their hands. This op- 
pression must cease, when the stimulus is taken 
away, and when there is no demand for the pro- 
ducts of slavery. This would be the most right- 
eous thing that could be done on their behalf; 
because it would compel the oppressor to cease 



214 

from his cruel oppression. And I have no doubt 
that they would be, in every sense, gainers by it. 
And yet there would be nothing but the power 
of love on our parts ; because it is necessary for 
us to cease from all injustice towards our fellow 
creatures. For it will ever remain an ordinance 
of Heaven, " Obey and thy soul sliall live." 

What are we to obey ? We are to obey the 
divine requisitions ; the first of which is, to do 
justice. The moment that we are shown, by the 
light of truth, that we have done an act of in- 
justice, that is the only right moment in which 
we should return justice. If we put it off like 
Felix, we shall never come to the point. God 
does not require an outward sacrifice. He never 
deems an outward sacrifice sufficient. Even un- 
der the outward dispensation, it made not the 
comers thereto perfect. All that he requires of 
us is to obey his voice ; and his voice is nothing 
but that light within us, that shows us the differ- 
ence between good and evil, right and wrong. 
It is nothing else. And the moment that light 
shows us that a thing is wrong ; as dependant 
creatures, we have no right to reason upon con- 
sequences; — it is an insult to the Almighty. 

I want you to take hold of the subject imme- 
diately ; for it is a momentous subject to the in- 
habitants of this land. I am settled in the un- 
shaken belief, that the Almighty will bless to us 
the discharge of every such duty. We have no 



215 

right to fear the result of discharging our duty : 
we have no right even to examine into it. The 
only thing needful for us, is to see that the act 
is conformable to justice and truth ; and if we 
find any thing which is unjust we have nothing 
to do but cease from it immediately. There is 
no time allotted us for consideration upon such 
points ; because they come with incontrovertible 
evidence to the mind. When we have a clear 
and correct view of the subject^ to defer is like 
Balaam's asking a second time, by which he 
was left to fall into error. Just so it will be with 
us. Oh ! how much we have sinned in the case 
before us ! 

I do not believe that any rational creature can 
think it right, notwithstanding they may have 
been reasoned into a kind of counterfeit belief^ 
by the falsehoods and cunning of man. But 
still, it remains impossible for them to have an 
honest belief, that the enslaving of our innocent 
fellow creatures is right. Therefore, had the 
children of men attended to the light in their 
own consciences, individually, it never would 
have happened. 

Now, how are we to get clear of this evil in 
the land? Why, when its fallacy is detected, 
and we see the vileness of our transgression, we 
must no longer procrastinate for a more conve- 
nient season ; we must no longer reason upon 
the probable consequences to follow from a dis- 
charge of our solemn duty. Yet this has been 



216 

the case ; and will continue to be the case witk 
many. They will say to themselves, how am I 
to do without the products of these slaves' la- 
bour? I can scarcely do with it; and how can 
I then do without it? But is this good reasoning 
for a rational creature ? It is, if good is to result 
in evil to us. To do what we conceive to be the 
manifest will of God, is always right. And if 
we were not selfish, we should resign and give 
up to do righteously in all our acts towards the 
oppressed : and so the blessing would rest upon 
them and upon us. I have no doubt that if we 
were brought to do nothing but justice on this 
subject, slaveholders would be obliged to free 
their slaves. They would do it immediately ; 
for they would not be such dunces as to keep 
them when they became an injury and expense 
to them, and when they might, after freeing them, 
employ them as other men are employed. It is 
believed that they would produce twice the pro- 
fit that they now do, and thus produce, not only 
a benefit to others, but a comfortable living to 
themselves. 

Now, if we would reason upon this subject 
independently of selfishness, it would be perfect- 
ly clear to us, and we should find with a certain- 
ty, if we believe on God Almighty, and his 
power, that it would be a blessing to both par- 
ties ; and that we should enjoy the fruits of their 
labour more plentifully than we now do, and 
through a far more righteous channel. 



SERMON IX. 

BELIVERED AT FRIENDS* MEETING-HOUSE, MIDDLETOWN, 
IN BUCKS COUNTY, ON SIXTH DAY MORNING, IOtH OF 
TWELFTH MONTH, 1824. 

" Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor 
that which is evil ; cleave to that which is good. 
Be kindly affectioned^ one to another, with bro- 
therly love ; in honour preferring one another.'^ 

These few short sentences comprehend a great 
portion of the platform and foundation stone up- 
on which the Christian church is built ; and up- 
on which it can only be built : and they are all 
laid by the great master workman, the light and 
spirit of truth ; or in other words, by the Com- 
forter that revealeth him to the immortal spirits 
of the children of men, and no where else. For 
he never has been, and never can be, seen by 
mortal eyes. 

Although we give assent to these truths, yet 
sorrowful it is to observe, that few are willing to 
practise them ; and the reason of it is, that men 
and women are too generally governed by self- 
love. Self-love is the predominating principle 
among the children of men. They are altogether 
governed by it in their natural and unredeemed 
E e 



218 

state. And although, no doubt, this self-love 
may arise from an impression from our animal 
nature, as well as in all other animals; as a part 
of their instinct nature induces tliem to take care 
of their oifspring. 

For we see that all creation love their own 
offspring ; and with man it is not only so, as it re- 
spects our common nature, as animal creatures ; 
but this self-love often exerts itself by leading 
him into something like religion, or what is call- 
ed religion, in the worship of a Supreme Being. 
For whatever arises out of this self-love, whether 
it relates to religion, or any thing else, still, if it 
is of our own begetting, it is our own offspring ; 
and we see how all animals love their own off- 
spring ; and this is the reason why we see so lit- 
tle of this undissembling love among the pro- 
fessors of Christianity. That love which is with- 
out dissimulation ; that perfect love, which leads 
us and strengthens us to abhor all evil, and to 
cleave to that which is good ; and, however con- 
trary to our own interests, to prefer others above 
ourselves. Thus, you know very well, as long 
as self-love predominates, no one can do these 
things. It is entirely out of the reach and pow- 
er of individuals in that state; because it is a 
truth, however ugly it may be, and the proverb 
will ever remain good, that " every crow thinks 
her own birds fairest.^' So we get along, too 
much in a state of nature ; and yet we are mak- 



219 

ing a great deal of stir and talk about religion ; 
when true religion is perfectly an antipode to all 
this ; yea, it is in direct opposition to it. 

Parents love their own children, in a natural 
state, better than any other children. They will 
always be partial to their own children, in a natu- 
ral state ; and they cannot do equal justice to 
others. While under the influence of this self- 
love, they will love them better than all others. 
And thus it is with all that they have begotten, 
whether it relate to our animal nature, or whether 
it be of a religious nature or profession. And 
we learn, as we are led to reflect as we ought to 
do — we learn and discover why there is so much 
contention among those professing the undefiled 
religion — the true Christian religion ; that which 
is built upon nothing but what is laid down by the 
master builder, the spirit of truth ; that which 
is built upon nothing but what comes from the 
spirit. We cannot build in this way, until we 
go through a course of discipline ; we must all 
come under the discipline of the cross. That 
will subdue all our self-love, and make us atten- 
tive to the directions of the spirit. 

What is the cross ? Nothing but an inward 
law written on the table of each of our hearts ; 
the law of the new covenant dispensation. It is 
in direct opposition to all man's willings and run- 
nings, and, therefore, before we can come to build 
upon the right foundation, we must come under 



222 

(Ired, it makes no difference ; it is all the same 
thing, if we are under the necessity of applying 
to them, for the evidence of our religion. We 
are still in leading strings, and are therefore, 
children ; of course we have not cast off child- 
ish things. For we can know nothing as we 
ought, until we gather home to that internal 
teacher, who knows all things, and sees all 
things as they are. If we have net come under 
the government of the Comforter and spirit of 
truth, all that has been said and written, will do 
no good ; for our instruction must come from him 
that reveals himself, to every soul among the 
children of men ; and far above all that can be 
written or spoken. 

Now, we may date the cause of the great 
weakness, which is prevailing in Christendom, to 
this one cause, resting under the guidance of out- 
ward things. Those who do so, may be consider- 
ed, in a religious sense, as children who cannot 
walk alone, outwardly : they must be upheld by 
their parents. These, now, have not been born 
again ; they have not come to know their Heaven- 
ly Parent ; they have not come to put their trust in 
the light and life of Grod in their soul s. They have 
kept up the shadow of things, and will even ap- 
peal to it, as a more complete decider, than the 
spirit of truth itself: and here they will bring the 
teachings of the light of Grod in the soul, to a 
written testimony ; to something that their mor- 



223 

tal eyes have secD, or their ears heard. But our 
mortal eyes have never seen the true Comforter ; 
we have never heard him with our outward ears. 
No, it is impossible in the nature of things. For 
God is invisible to every external sense of his 
creature man ; his spirit is invisible ; and there- 
fore, he only communicates with that which is 
invisible. Our souls are invisible to us, as God 
is invisible. Here now, we can get an account 
of all the contentions that have been engendered 
by tattling and tale bearing; and we find, that eve- 
ry thing that is wrong among the children of men, 
has arisen from their acting under the influence 
of self-love. Their parents have led them into 
something, or they have got something from 
books ; and they love it, and have made it their 
darling. Every one must submit to their opin- 
ion ; and so they are all children together : not- 
withstanding they take this bold stand, that if 
they find their fathers and mothers have grown 
up into still higher experience- — and they ac- 
knowledge them as such, at times — yet they will 
show their love and partiality, for what they 
consider their own begetting : and hence they 
will not hear to the advice of their parents, or 
those of more experience than themselves. Here 
then is the ground of all contention : and as these 
come to be truly enlightened, they will under- 
stand what Paul has said : because this is the 



224 

weaker vessel • this selfish spirit is the woman 
that he forbid to speak in the church. 

They had not risen up to the fulness of his 
stature in the light. This makes all one — every 
man and woman, who has not come up to that, 
is in an effeminate state ; and has no right to 
speak about religious matters. They have no judg- 
ment or certain evidence; and therefore they 
might be asking improper questions, and thus 
darken one another. 

As these things were spread before my mind, 
while I have been sitting in silence with you, I 
thought right to stand up and express wiiat 
might be brought before my mind on this sub- 
ject : for I greatly desire, that all may be deliv- 
ered from this captivity that now prevails iu 
Christendom. It is a captivity of the very worst 
kind ; for what has ever been more cruel, than 
traditional religion ? It has been the cause of 
all the bloodshed upon religious subjects. It is 
now the cause of all the discord and strife, in 
the varied societies of Christians in the earth : 
there is no other ground for it. They are living 
and trusting in traditions ; and their highest cor- 
ner-stone is what they gain from without ; and 
they want all should submit to it, and go back 
to the letter which killeth, and depart from the 
spirit which only giveth life. This was the un- 
happy state of the Galatians, as we find by what 
Paul says, "Are ye so foolish? Having begun 



225 

la tlie spirit, are ye now made perfect by the 
flesh ?'^ They had turned back to traditional 
things ; they had observed days and times : — 
^^ Are ye not carnal?'' he says. All whose re- 
ligion is of this kind are carnal 5 for nothing that 
we can learn from without can bring us out of 
this carnal state. No, nothing can ever do this, 
but to turn inward to the Comforter, and submit 
to his teachings. This will bring us under the 
cross; it will expel all self-love from our souls^ 
and turn us away from traditions, which are not 
in conformity with, and evidenced by, the spirit 
in our own souls. It will show us the necessity 
of turning from the letter ; and of individually 
coming to know that we are doing our own 
work. We cannot be saved by a belief of others ; 
for no man can save his brother, nor give a ran- 
som for his soul: and therefore, what a presump- 
tuous thing it is, for us to attempt to force a be- 
lief upon our fellow creatures ; seeing no one can 
give faith, but Bod alone. People are too apt 
to square their matters of religion, by their own 
opinion. How incorrect this is 5 and what a 
usurpation it is of the divine prerogative ! As 
long as this remains the case, we shall have no- 
thing but discord and confusion among the va= 
rious churches of Christendom. It all goes to 
stir up strife and discord. The great and only 
thing needful, then, is to turn inward, and turn 
our back upon the letter ; for it is all shadow, 
rf 



226 

Oh! let us turn to the substance ; for even the let- 
ter that is most correctly written, is doing only 
the same thing, that I am now endeavouring to 
have you do, to turn inward. It never proposes 
to do us any good. It can do no more than to 
turn us to that which can do us good ; to the im- 
mortal power revealed in our souls ; by the reve- 
lation of which those introductory letters have 
been written ; — not to lead us from the spirit, but 
to bring us back to the spirit, till it comes to 
reign over all, above all, and in all our souls^ 
and thus renders the letter to us entirely unne- 
cessary. 

And yet the letter, if it is of the kind that I 
liave mentioned, may do for learners — for young 
beginners ; it may point them to the right thing ; 
but there is no power in it to enable us to do it. 
It only shows us the way ; and how few there 
are, who read these excellent doctrines, that ever 
come to the practical part. We may have read 
what I have rehearsed of the doctrine of the 
apostle, from youth to old age, and what has it 
done for us? Are we in possession of ^Hove 
without dissimulation ?'' Do we feel its power 
stirring us to abhor every thing which is evil ; 
all discord, tale-bearing, tattling, and telling un- 
truths, or truths which are not necessary to be 
told. Even the truth may have a tendency to 
defame a brother or sister's character; and here 
it is a shameful thing. To tell things when 



221 

there is no need of their being told, is very 
wrong, because it has a tendency to hurt or 
wound. 

If we move under the power and influence of 
this pui^. and undefiled love, we shall always 
know what to speak of, and what not to speak 
of. We shall be brought to that fervent charity 
which covereth a multitude of faults. Although 
thy brother should occasionally be in a fault ; 
yet that true charity would not let thee speak of 
it ; it would cover the fault, it would endeavour 
to bury it, and not let it hurt the individual. If 
one be found in an error, still it may be, that he 
is not established in it ; and if we attend to our 
duty as we ought, and speak with the individu- 
al, under the influence of love and charity, he 
may be encouraged to come out of it. We then 
shall have done our duty, and no hurt. We 
should then wait to see the effect ; because we 
cannot expect to change the minds of the chil- 
dren of men, unless we can convince them ; and 
when that is the case we shall all unite in the 
same thing. But for want of this charity, this 
forbearing love, they cannot exercise justice to- 
ward one another; they will be selfish. For 
every creature is fond of his own begetting, whe- 
ther in a spiritual or a moral view. It is the na- 
ture of all, to love their own, — as the crow, how- 
ever ugly it may be ; and therefore, will insist 
that their black bird is handsomer than the white 
one. 



228 

O my friends, my soul travails in strong desire 
that we may dispel this enemy from our souls. 
We cannot do it of ourselves, but there is a me- 
dium whereby we can be delivered : there is a 
balm in Gilead ; and there is a physician, who 
can heal all our wounds, and bind the strong man, 
self, in us, and cast him out ; and when he has 
cast him out, under the assistance of the divine 
helper, then he can spoil his goods. Every 
thing that is done in selfishness, is an enemy of 
the love of God. Oh ! may tliis selfishness be 
dispelled from our souls; and may we be brought 
down into that humiliated state, in which we 
shall esteem others better than ourselves ; " in 
honour preferring one another." And as this be- 
comes reciprocal, there will be unity of spirit, in 
the bond of peace. It is no matter whether we 
see every thing alike ; the great point of union 
is, to walk in the light in Christ Jesus, and this 
is never to be found but in our own souls ; that 
as we all believe in this, and our conduct gives a 
manifestation of it, that we are humble, kind, af- 
fectionate, watching against every evil that we 
can see, as the master did — he directed them to 
test his conduct by the spirit that ruled in him : 
" Which of you convinceth me of sin ?" Now 
if we cannot convince our brother or our sister of 
sin, by examining their works, and we find they 
are led by the same thing ; these are thfe only 



229 

ones who can drink together in the spirit. For 
as our eyes do not see outward objects alike, so 
it is with things spiritual. We may have dif- 
ferent views and all be right. 

I consider it as a journey on this or that parti- 
cular road ; the one who goes forward sees certain 
things which the one behind does not see. But if 
he should travel on, he would come to the same 
places, and behold the same objects, as the one 
who went before ; and could bear testimony to 
the truth of him that went before. But in our 
impatience, we will judge those who may have 
seen more than we have. Here then, we see, is 
the root of all discord. Here we can see what 
it is that scatters and divides in Jacob. It is 
from selfishness in the creature, and a want of 
gathering inward to that principle that never 
errs ; and which can never lead us astray, if we 
are obedient to it. 

But we admit that there are transformations ; 
— ^that antichrist transforms himself into an an- 
gel of light. But who is it that he hurts? Those 
who are not clear of self-love; those who are 
i;iot established in the truth. We see what the 
apostle said ; that he would ^^ transform himself 
into an angel of light, and if possible, deceive the 
very elect." But he has not power to deceive 
those who have elected and chosen this divine 
principle in their hearts. 

We are made rational creatures, and furni!^h 



230 

ed with a power to elect for ourselves; and, 
therefore, if we elect this spirit of God in us, 
for our portion and lot of inheritance, antichrist 
can never deceive us. It is only those, who are 
working in their own will, whose religion is tra- 
ditional, that he can deceive : all those in this 
state, are liable to be deceived by his transfor- 
mations. And it must be so, as long as they re- 
fer to the letter as their chief rule and guide. It 
never can be otherwise, till we come to abandon 
all false dependencies. 

Some are so foolish as to say, that God has 
elected a certain number from the beginning ; 
that he has fixed upon a certain number, which 
he calls his elect. Now I do not believe in any 
such doctrine. 1 believe that he elects none but 
those who first elect him : for he has given us all 
the same power, and placed us in the same con- 
dition, to answer the end of our creation. He 
has given us the power of choice ; and it there- 
fore depends upon the creature, to elect for him- 
self. The Almighty has set before us good and 
evil — flight and darkness — life and death — and 
now we are to take our choice. If this was not 
the case, we should be nothing but mere ma- 
chines. How could we ever rise at all, if we had 
been placed here in a state of perfection ? And 
what would all avail us, if we had not the liber- 
ty and power of choice ? We should be but lit- 
tle better than the inanimate earth. The earth 



231 

knows nothing of good or evil ; so we should 
have known nothing, and could have enjoyed 
nothing more than the inanimate earth, which 
lies in a state of insensibility. Now we can see 
how it would lower down the human being, if he 
knew that God Almighty had fixed him so that 
he could not fall. What a wretched state, when 
compared with that condition which the Almigh- 
ty intended for man in the beginning. He made 
him and fixed him in a proper abode ; he made 
this abode a place of probation. Here he was 
made pure and clean from any defilement, but 
without a knowledge of pleasure or pain : and 
had he fixed him otherwise he would have re- 
mained in an insensible state. But he was fixed 
so as to rise out of this inanimate state, into one 
more glorious ; one far above this animal state, — 
after a probationary time. Do we not see the 
honour arising to man, for his victory in the out- 
ward warfare ? He may be sorely tried by those 
enemies who rise up in arms to overcome him, 
and here is the great honour, in withstanding the 
enemy of our soul, and of God. xis man gains 
honour by victories in worldly things, so we 
may consider it in a religious sense. When we 
meet with that which would lead us from the di- 
vine law, instituted by perfect wisdom ; if we 
meet it with firmness, and stand our ground 
against all the allurements to vice and tempta- 
tion to evil, we come to be in a degree like our 



282 

great pattern, who rose up to a situation, lit to 
be a communicant with the great Creator, in the 
realms of eternal happiness. 

Well then, let us strive to rise, in the same 
way, above all these low things ; above all self- 
love. Let us come down to the witness of God 
in our own hearts ; so as to sit at the feet of the 
Comforter. Not an outward comforter, for we 
have no outward comforter. Mary had an out- 
ward comforter. He was a figure of the inward 
Comforter, which was to come. He was compos- 
ed, as relates to his animal part, of the same ma- 
terials that we are; he lived as we live, with re- 
gard to his external and animal nature. The 
situation of the Jews was such, that they were 
only qualified to receive instruction from with- 
out, by external miracles. And here now Mary, 
and all the devout in Israel, looked to no other 
than this outward Comforter. She sat down at 
his feet in humility, and he enabled her to over- 
come seven evil propensities, and brought her 
down into a low and humble condition. And as 
she attended to his counsel, he enabled her 
to rise above all, and to acknowledge all her 
sins, and to centre down into a state of no- 
thingness. All her self-love was brought down, 
and completely subjected by the cross ; and 
thus she sat down in complete submission, to 
wait at his feet and receive the words of his 
mouth. 



233 

Now we see by tlie account of these two sis- 
ters, that it was not enough to love the Comfort- 
er ; for Martha loved him, but her love seemed 
to be rather an external love. She undoubtedly 
loved him, and wanted to do all that she could to 
serve him. But here was the difference between 
her love and the love of her sister Mary. Mar- 
tha did it in her own will and wisdom ; but Ma- 
ry sat down under a sense of nothingness ; and 
had no will or judgment of her own ; but wait- 
ed at the feet of Jesus, for him to instruct her. 

Now, how many there are in the present day, 
among the professors of Christianity, who make 
a great profession of love and religion, and yet 
all their service to their divine master, is in their 
own way and contrivance, like that of Martha. 
And yet they may have a degree of love ; but 
for want of having all self-love destroyed^ they 
can do nothing rightly. Martha, in her self- 
love, was no doubt minded to do something to 
gratify him, and to gain his praise ; for self-love 
desires the praise of men. 

Now we see this same thing in the present 
day. Do we not hear people frequently talking 
about religion ? Do we not hear them saying, 
'' why do you not get religion?'' Now look at 
this. What sort of creatures must these be, to 
talk at such a random rate^ as if we have power 
to get it when we please ; as if Martha could 
serve as she pleased. What sort of religious 



2^4 

people must these be, who talk in this way ; and 
say that we must get religion. If we ask them 
how we are to get it, they say, go to praying to 
God, This is just like Martha. It is the worst 
thing they could do ; it is the opposite to what 
Mary did ; and here they get reprehended, and 
if they will not learn by it, they will lose every 
thing by and by. They go on to build a Babel 
of their own ; and it is of the same nature, and 
set up like Jeroboam's idol worship, which made 
Israel to sin. So it is, and so it will be, with all 
religions which are set up in man's wisdom. 
And there appears to be but very little other 
now -a- days, but that which is like Martha's. It 
appears to be founded upon the same grounds as 
Jeroboam's idol was ; it is all an idol worship ; 
and whatever man does according to his own 
will, being an idol worship, cannot be accepta- 
ble to God his Creator. For we cannot even 
pray as we ought, but as the spirit helpeth our in- 
firmities. 

Have we, my friends, been concerned to seek 
aright ? It must be known to every one of us, 
that we cannot set to praying aright, when the 
very tiling which we consider the most danger- 
ous and the greatest evil, may be the very thing 
which will do us the most good. 

What then are we to do? Are we to attend to 
the word of the Lord, and stand still and see 
his salvation? Or shall we push forward? 



285 

Which is the best? Why surely if self-love is 
not in us, we shall be ready to hear the divine 
word, to stand still and see the salvation of God, 
We shall be willing to wait and hear the gra- 
cious words which proceed out of the mouth of 
the Comforter; which are spiritual words, that 
cannot be heard by the external ear ; and which 
come from one that the external eye never saw^ 
and which it can never see. 

By this means, all the rubbish will be remov- 
ed out of society ; all strife will cease, love will 
prevail, and we shall all be iu the spirit, and 
cleave to that which is good. We shall be like- 
minded one to another. We shall be willing to 
let our brother and sister do what they believe 
the spirit requires of them. So long as their 
conduct is not inconsistent, we must bear with 
them. Here we shall be like-minded one to an- 
other. We shall be willing to set one another 
above ourselves in honour, considering our- 
selves no more than we really are ; and not set- 
ting up our own judgment, and thereby using 
and usurping the divine prerogative. So long 
as their views are innocent in themselves, do not 
let us hurt a brother or a sister. So long as we 
are innocent and holy in tile sight of Grod, we 
shall be under the influence of love and light. 

What is wanting, my friends, is to gather in- 
ward to this pure principle in the soul : it would 
drive all discord from us ; all tattling; and tale- 



236 

bearing would be silenced. And is there a great 
er evil, than tattling and tale-bearing? Most 
discords spring from this source, and from envy ; 
for where there is envy there will be tattling and 
strife. Be willing, my friends, to turn inward ; 
to sit down in true humiliation. It is this which 
will teach us true wisdom, and guide us in the 
paths of judgment. ^^ Blessed are the meek: 
for they shall inherit tlie earth ;'^ and not only 
the blessings of the earth ; but also the enjoy- 
ment of Heaven. 

Oh! may we be among this happy number. The 
poor in spirit, the mourner, and they who hun- 
ger and thirst after righteousness, and all those 
who walk in sincerity and truth, he will fill 
with blessings, and feed their souls with angels' 
bread. I say, let one and all be willing to enter 
into the work cheerfully, with a resolution to 
come to know a redemption from every thing 
selfish ; and from all childish knowledge. For 
I consider all the knowledge which is acquired 
by tradition as childish knowledge. We are all 
in leading strings, while that governs our ways; it 
gives us no power to act like men. But we are 
to think for ourselves, and act for ourselves ; for 
no man is accountable for his brother's soul, nor 
can he give a ransom for it. We are all account- 
able for ourselves ; and we should never be de- 
ceived by another, or persuaded by another 
from the path of duty : for this would be re 



237 

Bouncing God as a leader, and taking up man. I 
would not have an individual believe a word 
that I say, only upon the ground of conviction. 
For any one to come over to my opinion because 
it is my opinion, I could have no fellowship 
with such an individual. When they come to 
see the truth as it is ; when they are convinced 
and converted to the truth of God in their hearts, 
they will be united with the testimony in my 
heart. Here we should become baptized by the 
one spirit, into one body, and be " made to drink 
into one spirit : whether Jew or Gentile, bond 
or free," black or white ; for all who are God's 
creatures, would be placed upon a perfect level. 
"We are not to consider a coloured man or wo- 
man as below us ; because if we do, we give an 
evidence, that self-love still domineers in our 
souls. We are to use all alike. For if we ad- 
mit for a moment, that a coloured man or wo- 
man is inferior to us, do we not at the same 
time criminate the Almighty, and declare that 
he is not the God that we profess to believe he 
is ; that he has made a distinction in colours ; 
and that these blacks are not his creatures, to 
the same extent that the whites are ? When, on 
the contrary, it is very likely that the original in- 
habitants were neither black nor white. God 
has placed the colour of all the nations of the 
earth, to suit the climate in which they live. 
And if we suppose them inferior who happen to 



238 

he black, it still adds to our injustice by crimin* 
ating the Almighty. How abominable it is then, 
that we, who profess to be led by a higher prin* 
ciple than coloured people, should take them 
into our possession, by cruel bondage, and de- 
gradate them down, and bring them into a state 
of degradation under us, and not consider them 
equal, in any respect, with us. We have been 
the means of this degradation ; it results from 
our wickedness and oppression. We have stolen 
them and kept them in chains. 

O my friends, what will be done in the end, 
if Ave are not delivered from these prejudices, 
which are the effects of this cruel custom ? Wo, 
wo, will be the portion of those who carry along 
these prejudices to the grave. Those who sup- 
pose that coloured men and women arc not equal 
to ourselves, and as worthy of the blessings of 
heaven as ourselves, are enemies to God and his 
righteousness. And again I say, we are doubly 
guilty in crimination, since we know it is we 
that have been the means of bringing them down 
into this state of degradation. We have neglect- 
ed their education when young ; and every thing 
wanting in them, is owing to our injustice and 
cruelty. And how shall we atone for this hor- 
rible sin ? We see bow they attempted to atone 
for sins, when under the outward covenant : but 
still it did not make the comers thereto perfect. 
If a man stole an ox, he had to restore four-fold; 



239 

and so in every respect, where they had done 
wrong, they had to make restitution. Are we 
not bound, then, to make some recompense for 
our wrong? We have taken away the liberty 
of these people; we have taken away from the 
coloured population that which i^ worth more 
than ten thousand oxen. We have taken away 
their free agency and their liberty ; and under 
such circumstances, we look down upon them, 
as a degraded people, inferior to us; and pretend 
that it would be wrong, to allow them to rise up 
to an equality with us. Now these are wicked 
prejudices, that must be accounted for in some 
day. 

My friends, do not put off the time ; let us 
sink down and look into this wickedness ; for 
we are all guilty more or less. There is but 
one way to do justice ; and that is, to turn about 
and restore that which we have wrongfully taken 
and withheld, and walk humbly before God. I 
have no doubt that much might he done, if it 
were our concern, individually, to shut our 
mouths and palates against the sweets of oppres- 
sion ; if we would not use any of the fruits of the 
labour of the oppressed. I see no other way to 
atone for this great sin ; no other possible way 
for us to be delivered from this unjust act^ only 
to undo what we have done, as far as it can be 
done ; and thus make restitution as far as it is 
practicable. That this is our duty, there can 



240 

be 110 doubt ; it is so clear, that he who runs 
may read, unless we are in a state of unbelief; 
— or rather, a belief in what is not true. For 
the receiver and the 4hief are considered the 
same: and I consider that the oppressor of a 
fellow-creature, who takes away his free agen- 
cy, is guilty of the worst of crimes, except wilful 
murder ; and I have even doubted whether mur- 
der is worse. Is it not a greater crime to take 
away the liberty of parents; and thus entail 
bondage upon their posterity to the hundredth 
generation — is this not greater cruelty, than if 
they had stabbed the two at once, and taken away 
their lives ? 1 say, would it not be better to take 
the life of the parents, at once, than to have hun- 
dreds rising up to this state of degradation and 
bondage ; and thus dying from the cradle to the 
grave ? 

I want to endeavour to arouse our feelings ; 
for by long custom and tradition we have be- 
come so callous to every feeling of humanity and 
justice, that I fear we shall die in our sins. And 
Oh ! my friends, what will be the consequence? 
Remember what is the call of the law : and how 
plain, how simple it is. How does our conduct 
accord with it ? — '' What doth the Lord re- 
quire of thee; but to do justly, and to love 
mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" 
We must sacrifice all pretensions of religion ; be- 
cause all pretensions of religion without this are 



241 

worse than notliing. The prophet to illustrate 
this, begins with all the offerings that the nations 
ever offered. " Wherewith shall I come before 
the Lordj and bow myself before the high God? 
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, 
with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be 
pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten 
thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first 
born for my transgression, the fruit of my body 
for the sin of my soul ?" If all these were not 
able to give access to the divine presence, what 
is to be don^ ? Why he tells us to do more ; 
to walk humbly, and with open arms relieve the 
oppressed. " Cease to do evil ; learn io do well; 
seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, plead for 
the widow." Then, and not till then, will he 
permit us to come into his presence. '' Come 
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : 
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, 
they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and 
obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." — 
Here is the great point, to come into perfect 
obedience to the manifested will of the creator, 
God> And where is it known ? and what makes 
it known? Nothing but the Comforter and spi- 
rit of truth within us. This was the only thing 
that Jesus recommended his disciples to, when 
in that outward dispensation ; he added nothing 
to it ; and therefore we have no right to add any 

Hh 



242 

thing to it. This Comforter in our own souls 
was never revealed any where else ; it was never 
seen with mortal eyes. 

It will not do for us to look back at what our 
forefathers did ; because our situations are very 
different from theirs. They were seduced by 
false spirits and wicked men. who took upon 
themselves to make interest, by gaining the as^ 
cendency over their fellow creatures, and selling 
them as beasts of burthen. Our forefathers, 
through the deception which was made use of, 
were brought to apprehend that it might be right; 
but now the veil is rent from our eyes, and we 
see it in the clear light, and can plead no ex- 
cuse. And therefore it will not do to reason 
from what our forefathers did; or to say we 
have no judgment of our own, because our com- 
mon understanding shows us; every portion of 
common sense is a clear and absolute witness 
against this oppression and injustice. I say, 
therefore, beware that we send not away the 
light; for the moment that power shows to us 
the unrighteousness of strengthening the hand of 
the oppressor, that is the time we should cease 
from it; and forever after. 



SERMON X 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS* MEETING-HOUSE, FALLS, IN BUCKS 
COUNTY, ON SEVENTH DAY MORNING, lltll OF TWELFTH 
MONTH, 1824. 

Shadow directs to the substance, and effects 
to their causes. It is a very natural conclusion, 
from what we every day witness from our own 
observation, that when we see the shadow of a 
man, or any thing else, we are directed immedi- 
ately to the substance, which makes or causes 
the shadow. Still it is the light, which is the 
principle, or first cause, which makes the sha- 
dow ; and it is the light which enables us to see 
the substance. We see likewise from the same 
thing, the same power — the light of the out- 
ward sun — ^the effects it produces upon us, and 
the things around us ; and by these effects we 
discover the cause, and that the light proceeds 
from that cause, thus enabling us to see it. And 
as it is thus in a moral sense — in an outward and 
external sense ; so it is in an inward, spiritual, 
and internal sense. 

This is beautifully described in the shadowy 
dispensation of an outward and external cove- 
nant, which the liord made with his people Is 



244 

rael. The whole of it, from beginning to end, 
was a shadow and representation of better 
things. For when Moses was about to build a 
tabernacle, with all its furniture and appendages, 
the Lord said unto him, " See that thou make 
all things according to the pattern which was 
showed thee in the mount." 

He was led up in the visions of divine light, 
to see heavenly things, in the spirit of his mind, 
and not by his external eyes ; but by the eye of 
the immortal soul. For nothing else can see by 
the light of Heaven, but the eye of the immortal 
souls of men and women; and they can only 
see by that light. It is by the sun of Heaven, 
the sun of righteousness, that causes shadows 
to be seen, that makes shadow s by those things 
that are in themselves the substance of those 
shadows. And here we see and discover, in the 
commands, and in the statutes and institutions 
of the law and covenant, that there were many 
things instituted, as being considered pollutions 
of the bodies of the Israelites, to whom this ex- 
ternal law was given. For this law was given only 
to the Israelites ; — it was not given to any other 
nation or people ; because they, only, were in a 
condition and fitness to receive such a law and co- 
venant. Therefore, every disease of the bodies of 
the Israelites had a tendency to deprive them of 
the enjoyment of their heaven, the outward Ca- 
naan with which the Lord had declared he would 



245 

bless them. As the Israelites were faithful and 
obedient to his commands^ nothing which could 
make the animal part of the children of men 
happy, should be wanting to them, on condition 
of their faithfulness to his requirings. Here, a 
leprosy was a pollution of the animal bodies of 
the Israelites. It not only deprived them from 
partaking of the good things of the land ; but it 
shut them away from the altar, where the offer- 
ings of the Lord were brought ; and when right- 
ly prepared, the priests and the people eat them 
together and rejoiced. And there was a very 
great variety of these offerings, of their kind ; 
as there were different kinds for different purpo- 
ses and ends. Every one that came under the 
power of any instituted sickness or disease, 
which had a tendency to defile the outward bo- 
dies of the Israelites, was shut away from the 
altar. They could not come to the altar with 
their offerings, till they were cleansed ; and they 
were cleansed by bringing offerings according to 
the law. When they brought these offerings, 
the high priest laid his hand upon them, and 
sanctified them first ; and then delivered them 
over to his priests, the Levites, to prepare them. 
But sometimes their offerings consisted of bitter 
herbs, and many other things that were unpleas- 
ant and disagreeable. Sometimes they were to 
be of one kind of creature or thing, and some- 
times of another. They were all pointed out, 



246 

so that the Israelites had nothing to do, al)oui 
inventing or devising any offerings in relation to 
their worship, or which related to their continuing 
in favour with the Almighty. All that was requir- 
ed, was obedience to his manifested will. There 
w^ere the offerings of harvest and the ingather- 
ings of their fruits. These were feasts of re- 
joicing, where the honest Israelites, improved 
their time and talents in cultivating the good 
land ; and while they were obedient, their la- 
bour succeeded in their hands, and they brought 
these offerings, to eat and drink, and rejoice to- 
gether, returning thanks to the Lord for his abun- 
dant mercy. 

Now, my friends, consider, — it is a clear des- 
cription, a beautiful description, a beautiful sha- 
dow of the heavenly things. When men or 
women became lepers, they knew that something 
was out of order ; — that something was the mat- 
ter, although they might not be clearly certain, 
whether it was the leprosy or not. They must 
then go and show it to the priest, and he was to 
go through a certain line of experiments to prove 
it according to law. The law appointed the way, 
and the priests had access to the Urim and 
Thummim, by which to explain these things, 
and to show what offering they must bring; and 
how they must be cleansed. But the Israelites 
became careless and indifferent ; and were not 
faithful in bringing offerings to the priestfs, ac~ 



247 

tiording to law, nor their gifts into the treasury, 
as they ought to have done. Therefore, the poor 
priests were oftentimes left in a destitute and 
disconsolate state, as their dependance was al- 
together upon the people. The people were to 
bring their offerings, and they were to prepare 
them according to the commands of the law; 
and for this service, they were to have a portion 
of the offerings ; — they that waited at the altar 
were to partake at the altar. 

So it is now, my friends, too much the case, 
I verily believe, with the professors of Christi- 
anity, who make a high profession of being led 
and guided by the new covenant law ; by the 
light of heaven; — that light which alone can 
show us the shadow of heavenly things; and 
lead us up by its own light to the substance. 
There is a great dilatoriness, a great want of 
fervent labour and travail ; and therefore when 
we assemble together, the poor priests, or the 
Lord's ministers rather, are destitute. Now 1 
believe, that were we rightly engaged, to know 
and consider well our own conditions, individu- 
ally, we should know what is our ailment, and 
what it is that hinders our access to the altar of 
the Lord. We should know whether it is not 
a want of faithfulness on our part, to come and 
appear before our great High Priest; that so 
we might be instructed what to do, and how we 
are to bring our offerings, and in what way to 



248 

bring them, so as to be acceptable to him. If we 
do this in honesty and sincerity of soul; he would 
lay his hand upon our offerings and sanctify 
them; and deliver them over to his Levites, his 
ministers, to offer to his people, and for the peo- 
ple; by leading his ministers to a full and clear 
view of the state they were in, so that they could 
hand out the offerings, that we might partake of 
them together, each bringing an offering accord- 
ing to the state and condition he was in. Here 
we should be edified together, and here it would 
be verified to all his ministers, as it was under 
the law dispensation; they that waited at the 
altar were to be partakers at the altar : so " they 
that preach the gospel shall live of the gospel." 
And what is this gospel, my friends ? Why 
we are told by an eminent minister ' of former 
days, that it is the power of God unto salvation. 
It is that which cleanses and heals the souls of 
the children of men. Now, there was a partic- 
ular way of effecting this, described in the law ; 
the high priest of the Levites was to pur- 
sue a way, in which, when faithful, the Israel- 
ites who were able to bring offerings, were pre- 
pared to meet together and worship harmonious- 
ly. But when the great high priest of this 
outward dispensation came, as was prophesied 
of by the former prophets, he was not regulated 
by those institutes, by those shadows, by those 
external means. For although he fulfilled them 



249 

all in his own person, as related to himself; yet 
he was clothed with a power to cleanse the Is- 
raelites by only a word speaking : and yet he 
did not seem to be wanting to exalt himself; for 
when he had cleansed a leper, immediately by 
a word, he recommended him to go to the priests, 
and there offer according to the law of Moses. 
He was willing to be hid : but they feeling them- 
selves cleansed from their leprosy, and wholly 
healed; they therefore neglected the external 
part, they neglected the old law, for they were 
healed without it. 

Here we see, my friends, how Jesus, in his 
outward manifestation, was limited to Israel, as 
he himself declares, that he was only sent to the 
lost sheep of the house of Israel. Thus he heal- 
ed every one that believed in him, by a touch, 
or by the word of his mouth. Here now the 
light shone by his works. This healing of those 
outward diseases, was like the shadow that em- 
anated from his outward man: but the power 
descended from above. It was not in the power 
of the external part, the body of flesh and blood, 
to do any such things. But when he effected 
these cures, the effect seemed to direct to the 
cause ; as though he, the man, had effected these 
by his own power. But to regulate their views, 
he declared to them, it is not I that do these 
things ; I that you see, have no power at all 
to do such things, but my Father, my invisible 
1 1 



250 

Father that dwelleth in me ; that is, the power of 
the Holy One, the power of the gospel. The 
gospel is the power of God unto salvation. So, 
as it is in the moral sense, we see our own sha- 
dow, and it directs to the substance or animal 
body ; but it is the sun, that great orb above us, 
that makes us to see this outward substance, — the 
power is all in the light. So in a spiritual rela- 
tion, the power is in the light.********^^ 
^*-^This animal body of Jesus Christ was born of 
the Virgin Mary ; and therefore must be nothing 
as to the visible part, but flesh and blood, as 
nothing else could emanate from her but what 
was of her. So here now, this outward body, 
this flesh and blood, was born of a woman; 
which shows us why Jesus always calls himself 
the son of man ; because he was verily and ac- 
tually so, for he could not use evasions. Now 
I have heard suggestions from rational beings, 
that Jesus mentioned this to deceive the people, 
to turn them away, to make them believe some- 
thing that was not correct ; that it was only a 
speech that did not apply to him. But it was 
the truth ; for he could speak nothing but the 
truth, and he knew with a full certainty that he 
was the son of man, as welt as any of us can 
know so ; and therefore lie asserted it abundant- 
ly. And the highest station that he assumed, 
while in that prepared body, was, that he was 
not only the son of man, but the son of God, 



251 

Here now, we learn, as rational beings, by his 
own testimony, what it is that makes a son of 
God. We see that this flesh and blood never 
could have been, in a strict sense, the son of 
Grod ; but a creature, created by God — by his 
power : because spirit and matter cannot be unit- 
ed together, and make ^ being, nor mak« a son 
of God. 

Nothing but the rational souls of men and 
women, can come to know a birth of God. And 
the rational soul never was created by flesh, 
or through flesh. The animal part is taken 
and created from the earth by the power of God. 
Whether like as in the case of our first parents, 
which is the greatest miracle in bringing forth 
the body of man, or whether through the help 
of a woman, it makes no difference; because, 
when he created man, he gave him the power to 
carry on this work of creation for himself, as it 
were ; and yet, nothing but his power, can cre- 
ate, or continue creation. Therefore, as every 
thing upon the earth, is the work of his holy 
hand, still his power continues in it: and al- 
though he made a power in the trees to produce 
others of the same kind, yet, was his power to 
be withdrawn from them they would sink into 
annihilation ; for every effect must rest upon its 
cause, or it cannot stand. 

Here we may be learning, if we are willing 
to improve the understanding which the Al- 



252 

mighty, in his goodness, has blessed us with, 
both to improve in outward things, and likewise 
in heavenly things, so as to know their use. He 
has hid no secret from us which would have a 
tendency to be a blessing to us. He has all at his 
command ; all wisdom and all knowledge ; and 
he dispenses all that can be a blessing and a be- 
nefit, to them that are rightly engaged, and no 
more : for he adds no superfluities. He cannot 
do this. It is inconsistent Avith his holy nature ; 
and therefore, at what time the immortal spirit 
is placed in these animal bodies, he has kept a 
secret. It is not of the flesh, we know ; it is as 
invisible as God is invisible : and in his in- 
scrutable wisdom, he has created man with a 
twofold nature; one part earth and the other part 
spirit. That is the spiritual part, which is ta- 
bernacling in these earthly bodies ; but it was 
not created with them, nor does it derive its pow- 
er or nature from them at all, as it is spirit, and 
till that is spiritual comes from God, and must 
come from God ; and, therefore, it is that this 
light the apostle tells us of, that was in Jesus 
Christ, came from God : ^^In him was life, and 
the life was the light of men ; that was the true 
light that lighteth every man that cometh into the 
world." Here now, we all have a portion of the 
same light; for ^^the life was the light of men,'^ 
and it remains eternally so. It all comes from God, 
and is dispensed to the children of men — and it 



253 

was to Jesus Christ, like wise, as man— -in the 
same proportion as to inscrutable wisdom seemed 
necessary and consistent, to ejGfect the great de- 
sign, in the creation and redemption of the chil- 
dren of men. 

So, here, we see Jesus made lower than the 
angels, on account of his suffering death. He 
was tempted in all points as we are. Now how 
could he be tempted if he had been fixed in a 
state of perfection, in which he could not turn 
aside? Can you suppose, as rational beings, 
that such a being could be tempted? No, not 
any more than God Almighty could be tempted. 
Perfection is perfection, and cannot be tempted. 
It is impossible. And here it is proved to a de- 
monstration, that he came to be an example to 
the children of men; a great high priest and 
teacher, in those things which concern the salva- 
tion of the children of men. And here he did 
his office, as a great high priest of the Jewish 
covenant, in that outward dispensation, in which 
he was limited to the Jewish people as a child 
of Abraham ; to sum up all the righteousness 
of the law, by faithfulness to it. And when he 
had effected that part, by the grace of God that 
was upon him — for we read that he " grew in 
stature and in favour with God and man ; and 
the grace of God was upon him." Then it was 
not his grace, but the grace of God, communicat- 
ed to him; as it was communicated to the rest of 



254 

Abraham's cliildren — to every one in a sufficient 
degree to enable them to come up to the law and 
commandments given them. It will not do for 
us to suppose for a moment, that the Almighty, 
when he gave this law, did not at the same time, 
give them power to fulfil it in all its parts. For 
if he did not, they could not be accountable 
for a neglect. But we see that he did this ; for 
here was a child of Abraham endued with his 
spirit, which he has given to every rational crea- 
ture, to profit with. He lived up to the law and 
covenant given by the Father ; and in this he 
justified his lieavenly Father, in giving this law 
and covenant ; and thereby condemned the Is- 
raelites for not fulfilling of it. Well, when he 
liad done this, — for we hear of no miracles till af- 
ter all this was done; none at all; nor any thing of 
his righteousness or acts; — but now when he went 
into the last institute of the legal dispensation, 
which was called watery baptism ; and the mi- 
nistry of John, his forerunner, was nearly at an 
end, divine wisdom thought fit to reveal to John 
by what medium he should know who it was 
that was to baptize with the Holy Ghost. It 
was him on whom the spirit should be seen de- 
scending and resting upon him. 

Now, we find, that when he came up out of 
the water, John having baptized him, the Holy 
Grliost descended in bodily shape like a dove, 
and rested upon him. Now, whether this was 



255 

open to John's external eye, or whether it might 
not rather be an expression of John's, that as the 
dove is the most innocent creature of the feather- 
ed race, he made use of it, to express what he 
beheld in him, and in this power that descend- 
ed upon him. This was a power from hea- 
ven — an additional power and gift from heaven; 
as by his righteousness in fulfilling the law he 
was prepared to enter into a higher dispensa- 
tion. 

I consider, according to the tenor of the law, 
that the whole design, was to lead up some of 
the Israelites into this state of perfection and 
fulfilment of the law ; and then that it should be 
abolished. Hence, the fulfilment of the law was 
the abolishment of the law. He abolished it by 
nailing it to his cross. Oh ! had the professors 
of Christianity left it there, and been willing to 
go forward, under the illumination of the Holy 
Ghost, which alone could qualify Jesus to be a 
gospel minister 5 so likewise, according* to his 
own testimony, nothing ever did or can qualify 
for the ministry, but the descending of the Holy 
Ghost from Heaven, upon rational creatures. 
And, therefore, in the same proportion as we 
have the descending of the holy spirit upon us, in 
the same proportion, till we gain a conquest over 
our passions and propensities, we shall be more 
tempted and tried. So it was with Jesus, when 
this holy spirit descended upon him, the spirit 



256 

drove him into the wilderness to be tempted of 
Satan. 

Now let us pause a little, and consider what 
is here meant. Can it be supposed that he 
was driven into an outward wilderness? Or 
shall we not suppose, that he was brought by 
the power of divine light, to see the wilderness 
state in his own mind ? Because, in the outward 
wilderness a man loses his way, and meets with 
many trials ; and so there is a spiritual wilder- 
ness, where man is tempted and tried. Here 
the natural propensities which are fixed in man, 
no doubt for an excellent purpose, rise up and 
attempt to gain an ascendency over us. Here we 
find it in all things in us. The propensity 
to thirst — what does it do ? It is a gift of God 
to the children of men. It leads them to do 
that which might sustain their natural life. 
But if not regulated and kept under subjection 
by the immortal soul, which is placed in us to 
regulate these animal desires and propensites, it 
will become injurious to us, by being indulged to 
excess. For you know we have many propensi- 
ties ; many that are necessary to us : for we 
could not eat or drink, or have a desire to do it, 
if we had not a propensity to it. We could not 
fulfil the command, to increase and multiply and 
replenish the earth, had we not a desire which 
led to it. These propensities are all good in 
their place ; and we could not answer the end of 
our creation without them. As it is not in bones 



257 

to think or flesh to reason ; so there is no bounds 
to our natural desires : but the soul must wait for 
tounsel from on high^ and direct the body, and by 
faithfulness to it, regulate all these desires and 
keep them within the bounds of reason and truth. 
This was the case with the blessed Jesus, so 
that he never offended in any one point; but 
learnt obedience by the things he suffered. He 
had all these desires. The desire after know- 
ledge, and the things of the world, presented it- 
self to his animal part ; and thus it is said to 
have driven him into the wilderness : that is, he 
felt that wilderness, which man feels, while in a 
state of probation. It is the way in which di- 
vine wisdom speaks of the church. "I will allure 
her, and draw her into the wilderness, and speak 
comfortably unto her.'' I will allure her, — see, I 
will draw her. Now what wilderness was this ? 
It was not an outward Avilderness ; but the same 
which Jesus was led up into : and here it was 
that he was tried. Here the tempter led him up 
to aspire after the glory of the world. He told 
him if he would fall down and worship him, 
that he could arrive at it, — if he would only sub- 
mit to this desire, and fall down and worship 
it, all should be his : but you see how ready 
he was to reply to this temptation. The divine 
law always gives us an answer, and if we are 
faithful, we shall be like Jesus ; when we are 
teijipted to aspire after the glories of the world. 

Kk 



258 

We shall be always able to give a righteous an- 
swer, if we are faithful to the truth in our own 
minds, as fully as he was, no doubt ; because 
lie is our example, and we are to follow his 
steps. Jesus said, " Get thee behind me, sa- 
tan/' Oh ! how often has my poor soul been 
brought to this point, when temptations have ari- 
sen, " Get thee behind me satan." Oh ! I have 
seen that it was mine enemy ; the light of truth 
has revealed it to me ; and 1 have felt some- 
times, in a degree, like the blessed Jesus. I 
have seen that mine enemy hath wanted to ex- 
alt me : but I could ask no honour or power, for 
I knew that he had none to give, nor any power 
to preserve me one moment. 

'' Get thee behind me, satan : for it is writ- 
ten, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shalt thou serve.'' Is not this the case 
with all of us ? Have we not this language in 
our souls ; that sometimes tells us, it is not right 
to serve any thing else in this world. Here if 
we are faithful to the divine light, we shall in 
proportion be able to withstand every temptation 
that may assail us in our state of wilderness 
travel and probation. 

We read that he was taken up and set upon 
a pinnacle of the temple. And do you suppose 
there was some power which actually took him 
up, and set him upon a pinnacle ? No, I hope 
there are none so ignorant as to suppose so. It 



259 

was a temptation to exalt himself, for his righte 
ousness — ^his goodness. And have you not, ma- 
ny of you, been set upon this pinnacle of high 
honour? Have you not a little religious pride? 
What was that saying then, to the tempter? He 
was placed in a dangerous situation ; but not 
more so than the soul is when tempted to 
aspire in consequence of its righteousness^ 
The tempter " saith unto him, if thou be the 
son of God, cast thyself down : for it is writ- * 
ten, he shall give his angels charge concerning 
thee ; and in their hands they shall bear thee 
up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a 
stone.'' 

We must all come to know these things in our 
experience ; and we shall all witness them, if we 
are faithful to the spirit in our own minds. We 
can read all these temptations in our own expe- 
rience. As the light of the sun makes shadows^ 
so, spiritually, it is the light that makes the sha- 
dow, and reveals to us that which causes the 
shadow, which is God, the light, the heavenly sun. 
^< Grod is light ; and in him is no darkness at all.'^ 
And if we are in him, we walk in the light, as he 
is in the light, as says the apostle: ^^If we walk 
in the light as he is in the light, we have fel- 
lowship one with another ; and," as in our trans » 
lation, " the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleans- 
eth us from all sin." What kind of blood? 
Has he any such blood as we have ; any such 



260 

flesh ? No, lie has no such blood nor never has 
had. The immortal soul has not such blood. The 
blood is the life of the animal, and so it was the 
life of Jesus Christ the son. The light is the 
life which the apostle declared was in him ; it is 
that light wliich cleanses us from all unrighte- 
ousness : nothing else ever did it, or ever can do 
it. Therefore, it ought to have been said, the 
spiritual life of Jesus Christ ; the spiritual life 
in the soul; For there is no true life, but what 
is comprehended in the Almighty Creator. And 
of that he could have no more than he assigned 
him, and he dispenses it to all the inhabitants of 
the earth. 

Oh! what a lack there is on our part; by 
which, for the want of faithfulness, we remain 
as it were among the dead : " for to be car- 
nally minded is peath ; but to be spiritually 
minded is life and peace.^' If we were willing to 
be faithful to the measure of gi'ace committed to us 
to profit with, we might understand these things 
in their true light, they would be spiritually dis- 
cerned. All external things cannot benefit us ; 
because every thing external keeps our eyes from 
the sun of righteousness. As we see in outward 
things, if we look at our shadow we cannot 
see the sun ; but when we turn away from the 
shadow, and face the sun, then we can see it. It 
is just so in heavenly things. When we take 
notice of the miracles that Jesus did, they were 
all shadows ; because they acted upon the flesh 



261 

and blood of the children of men. When he 
raised the dead to life, which he did by a word's 
speaking, it pointed out the power by which this 
was effected. And here, when we go to the cus- 
toms of Moses, * ^ * * ^ was pointed 
out by the high priest, * * ^- * * * * 
* ^ * * * * and shows the leading up 
to a higher priesthood. ♦ 

Here he became an outward figure of the pow- 
er of the gospel, the wisdom and power of God. 
Here he is acting upon the outward man ; by 
healing the sick, cleansing the leper, and raising 
the dead : it is all figure together. Therefore, 
he told his disciples, '' It is expedient for you 
that 1 go away, for if I go not away, the Com- 
forter will not come.'' He speaks nothing but 
the truth : for so long as the Jews had him to 
look at, they never could rise any higher,- — 
while he was bodily with them. That part 
must be entirely taken away. It must be dis- 
solved, and be so no more. We must have no 
remembrance of it ; because, if we did worship 
it,. it would be the worship of an image. Let us, 
only remember the glorious works which he did ; 
but no more remember the flesh and blood. Let 
us have no hand in it. It was only an organ 
through which the power of Grod passed, and 
brought about all these effects ; effects supernat- 
ural to the power of man; to any ability or power 
of his own. Here now, he assured them that it 



262 

was expedient for them that he should go away; 
that if he did not go away the Comforter would 
not come, hut if he went away, he would pray the 
Father, and he would send them another Comfor- 
ter. What was this Comforter ? They were 
depending on him, and in their carnality they 
had been led to believe that their Messiah when 
he came, would take upon himself kingly au- 
thority; and would come up on a throne, and 
reign over the house of Israel, outwardly. Their 
minds were altogether occupied with the bless- 
ings which they were to receive, in their outward 
good land, which they were to enjoy forever, if 
they were faithful. Here you see their incor- 
rectness, no doubt ; because this ^' forever" was 
a time thing ; — it was no more than a deed for 
lands given forever; which cannot be enjoyed 
longer than during the natural life. 

So the " forever" to Israel, in respect to Je- 
sus' coming, it run forever : and that they were 
to enjoy this land forever was a tinie thing; it 
was limited, and ought to have been translated 
so as to signify, the end of the dispensation, when 
the Almighty should see the time to abolish it, 
and do it away, so that man could rise above all 
dependencies that are external, which were not 
to endure when the Comforter had come, and 
they were enabled to sit at his feet, where they 
could have access to the throne of grace. And 
what was this Comforter to be ? . No external 



268 

thing; no visible thing. He was to descend up- 
on the disciples in the Lord's time. Jesus de- 
clared he could not tell them when. He had 
no such power ; the Lord kept that a secret from 
him. The times and the seasons are in the Fa- 
ther's hands ; not even the Son, or the angels of 
Heaven could know them. Jesus commanded 
them to tarry at Jerusalem ; not one day, one 
month, or one year, or any other set time. They 
were to be stripped of every dependence. He 
not only told them that he would go away ; but 
he told them that he would pray the Father, and 
he would send them another Comforter, which 
should abide with them forever. And what was 
it? It was the spirit of truth; the light and life 
that was in Jesus was the same thing ; therefore 
the spirit of truth. ^ 

^'I will not leave you comfortless.'' This 
must apply to his outward coming when he 
should be risen from the dead. Then when they 
took leave of him, after his ressurrection, he gave 
direction where to wait for him. 

It was nothing but the spirit of God that 
could heal the soul, and cure it'of all its mala- 
dies. So Jesus when outwardly with them, was 
able by the power which passed through him, 
even by a touch of the hand, or the lip of his 
mouth, to cleanse the leper ; to give sight to the 
blind ; and to unstop the deaf ear. Here were 
outward works upon outward beings ; the whole 



264 

work was nothing but shadow ; it looked up to 
the substance ; to what the light of God would 
do when they had waited a proper time, till tlie 
spirit had descended on them from above. 

He told them, " Ye shall receive power when 
the Holy Ghost comes upon you, and" — not till 
then — " you shall bear witness of me in Jerusa- 
lem ; in Judea, and in the uttermost parts of the 
earth.'' We see that Jesus could not bear any 
testimony of these things, till the Holy Ghost 
had descended upon him. So when that had 
descended on him, and he had passed through 
trials, by which he was fully proved, and set a 
righteous example to all those that were led to 
believe in him : and as all Israel had a know- 
ledge of his outward manifestation, they were 
every one encouraged by the same words, to 
wait for the same power to descend on them. 
And not only on ministers, my friends, but up- 
on every Christian ; for to be a Christian is to 
be Christ-like. And all the members of the 
church must be made kings and priests unto 
God, by the power of the Holy Ghost descend- 
ing upon them. -This was the apostles' doctrine, 
and it must be the experience of every perfect 
Christian, as was the case with the blessed Je- 
sus. He had power " over all flesh, over all 
principalities and dominions" upon the face of 
the earth. So must every Christian come to 
know this power over every thing of a creature- 



265 

ly nature, and be in subjection to the cross ; and 
in subjection to the divine spirit. All principali- 
ties and powers must be subjected to this ; we 
must all come to know them laid down at our feet. 
We cannot come to be Christians till we experi- 
ence this in the full sense of the word. We cannot 
be CMstians, till, like our great high priest and 
example, we overcome them all. He had power 
over all kingdoms, powers, and dominions. So 
we must : but as long as we have not got a con- 
quest over all these things, there will be a seek- 
ing to be partakers in them ; and here we 
show that we are not Christians. All who 
take a part in the affairs of the world, show 
themselves to be antichristians 5 for his kingdom 
is not of this world. Therefore his disciples and 
lollowers must come to be as he was. We must 
get the mastery over all principalities and all 
flesh ; because as long as we are under a state of 
probation, the flesh works against the spirit, and 
the spirit against the flesh. Here is a contest 
and continual uneasiness ; and there is no peace, 
never can be any peace, till we have power over 
this nature; till we have a conquest over all 
principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions; 
and over every thing fleshly. When this is the 
case we shall come to be true Christians. We 
should then become such brethren as Jesus salutes 
and addresses, according to Paul's testimony. 
We should be led by the spirit of God ; and as 
l1 



266 

many as are led by the spirit of G od, will be led 
out of the world's ways, and maxims, and cus- 
toms. We should be led up into the way of 
truth; and as many as are led by his spirit, 
all those become " the sons of God ; and if sons 
then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with 
Christ." Oh ! may we " press forward to the 
mark, for the prize of the high calling of God." 
It is attainable to us : as certainly as it was at- 
tainable by Jesus Christ, so certainly it is attain- 
able by every one of his faithful followers. For 
the Lord's children are all taught of the Lord, 
and in righteousness are they established ; and 
great is the peace of his children ; — a peace 
which the world cannot give nor take away. 

But we cannot experience it while we are par- 
taking of the world. 1 deny the possibility of 
it; "for in the world ye shall have tribulation." 

I would not have any one misconstrue my 
words; and suppose that I consider all lost who 
do not come into this Christian state. For 
though we profess to be under the new covenant 
dispensation ; none are under it who do not come 
into it. All that are out of it, are still what the 
rest of the children of men are. They may be 
Jews or Gentiles, who, through ignorance and 
the prejudice of education, have not seen beyond 
those outward things. For I do not suppose that 
the Jews are all lost. There may be faithful 



267 

and pious Jews, accordina; to the knowledge 
they have received, under the cloud of darkness, 
occasioned by their traditions and education. So 
there may be among the varied professors of 
Christianity, and the rest of the earth. No doubt 
there are many who are industriously and sin- 
cerely seeking the Lord ; being under the power 
of tradition and education, and the superstition 
that reigns in the land. Oh ! may we get out of 
these things ; and make the entire surrender 
which the true Christian is called to make, and 
which the example of Jesus shows us the neces- 
sity of coming to. For he that is a Christian is 
a new creature ; all old things are done away, 
and all becomes new. Mind it, my friends, it is 
not a part that is to be given up ; it is every thing 
belonging to us. This makes a Christian : it 
brings us to fill up the complete doctrine of Je- 
sus, in his sermon on the mount. He leads us on 
from one state to another, till he closes this ex- 
cellent discourse — -'' Be ye therefore perfect, even 
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.'^ 
Do we believe it ? If we do not, how can we 
come to it? I believe it necessary, for nothing 
else ever did make a real Christian. Here we 
are brought into the divine image again, by com- 
ing to partake completely of the divine nature. 
For we are then the children of God, as much 
as any child is the son of his father here on 
earth. If the son is obedient to his father, he 



268 

gives up his will entirely to be governed by the 
will of his father. So with the true Christian; 
he has no will of his own, for all things have 
become new : all things are of God and not of 
man. 



SERMON XL 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS' MEETING-HOUSE, IN THE CITY OF 
TRENTON, N. J. ON FIRST DAY MORNING, 12th OF TWELFTH 



It is said that, " in all labour there is profit.'^ 
Every command, and every exhortation deliver- 
ed to the children of men, is delivered to them 
as rational beings ; and they are to understand 
them rationally. But I conclude, that by this ex- 
pression is intended ^^in all right labour there is 
profit.'^ We may rationally conclude, that this 
is the meaning ; for there is abundance of un- 
fruitful labour in the world, that is not profita- 
ble. As our life, upon the earth, as men and 
creatures, depends principally upon the labour 
of the field, we have very clear evidence, that 
all those who labour there, are exercised in right 
labour, provided they are regulated by wisdom 
and truth. 

It would seem, when we are brought to reflect 
upon the divine character, his excellence and 
perfection, that he never intended there should 
be any unprofitable labour, or any which was 
not rightly directed ; but that every portion of 
labour, should result in good, and to the univer- 



270 

sal benefit of the children of men, as social be- 
ings. 

This is the labour, I conceive, which produ- 
ces profit : but it is not consistent with the cun- 
ning and wisdom of fallen man, to pursue this 
course generally. And the reason is, that the 
wisdom of this world is foolishness ; the cun- 
ning of man, and the wisdom of the world, are 
foolishness with God. Hence we find, among 
the children of men, many who, though they la- 
bour considerably in trafficking in the effects of 
honest labour of the field, can hardly be said to 
do much right labour. They get a living out of 
the labour of others, by changing and inter- 
changing, in the way of commerce, and by vari- 
ous contrivances to gain, without adding any 
thing to the real value of the articles in which they 
trafic. They remain the same after having pass- 
ed through many hands ; and after each of these 
hands may have received a greater reward than 
the honest labourer had for them at the first. 

Can we suppose, that this is according to the 
order of that providence, which is perfect in wis- 
dom and truth? I apprehend this subject wants 
deep consideration. 

I do not apprehend, that those engaged in the 
way which I have mentioned, are the only 
ones who are not engaged in right labour ; but 
it is the case with all the children of men who 
are acting according to their own earthly wisdom 



271 

and understanding. Even the labourer in the 
field, may be like a co-partner with those I have 
mentioned, by coveting more than he ought to 
covet, and not being content with having his la- 
bour blessed in the fruits of the field, and in 
having food and raiment sufficient. But to ex- 
ercise himself in hard labour, and give the pro= 
duce into the hands of those that I have men- 
tioned, and pass it from one to another, till it 
passes through ten, twenty, or thirty hands, and 
he that labours hard not enriched by it, and 
yet every one of these others gaining by it, is in- 
consistent with divine wisdom. This is what I 
call unrighteous gain. 

Perfect wisdom, I believe, will lead us to that 
kind of labour that will be profitable to all those 
engaged in it, and under the regulating influ- 
ence of this wisdom, we shall learn right disci- 
pline ; so that having food and raiment, we 
shall therewith be content. Here we shall see, 
that the design of divine providence was, that 
each generation should work for itself, and not 
one for another; in order that they might be kept 
out of idleness. 

There is no doubt, that great cities, erected 
among men, are nuisances to creation, as they 
are all nurseries of vice ; and as they are made 
up too much of that sort of men and women, 
who love to live by their wits instead of their la- 



272 

bour. 1 believe there is a great want of reforma- 
tion in them. 

I apprehend, my friends, that I am speaking 
to men and women of understanding, who can 
comprehend rationally ; and I hope that each in- 
dividual w ill exercise wisdom in a view of these 
things. As our life depends upon the labour of 
the field, that kind of labour which enables the 
labourer in the field to go on w ith his work, 
must of course be useful. Who are the persons 
thus engaged? They are the mechanics, who 
make the materials for the labourer. In all this 
there is a certain portion of regular labour, which 
is productive of good, to the individuals who thus 
gain a livelihood ; and if limited by truth and 
righteousness^ their desires will seldom exceed 
what has been mentioned. 

What says the man, formerly, that we read 
of, who no doubt was brought to see these 
things, as they have been opened to my mind at 
present ? He was led to make this prayer to the 
Almighty : " Give me neither poverty nor riches ; 
feed me with food convenient for me -P and he 
gives the reason for this : " Lest 1 be full and 
deny thee, and say, who is the Lord ? Or lest I 
be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God 
in vain." Or lest he might cry out when he got 
exalted in the earth, like the king of Babylon 
formerly, " Is not this great Babylon that I 
have built, by the might of my power, and for 



273 

the honour of my majesty ?" Here we have a 
view of the danger of riches, and of poverty that 
comes by idleness. '' Or lest I be poor and 
steal, and take the name of mj God in vain." 
There is much in these things, my friends. 

To suppose that we can rise up into a state and 
condition fit to become communicants with the 
king of heaven, without morality — without com- 
ing to be rightly regulated in our moral concerns^ 
is a great and mischievous error. We may become 
pretty good moralists, and not be Christians, or 
the children of the Lord : but we never can be 
good Christians till we become good moralists; 
that is, labouring honestly for our own support. 
For it is a very great crime for us to want to be 
supported by the labour of another, or to take 
the advantage of the labour of others, to live by 
it. It is criminal in the extent. There is more 
for us to consider on this subject, than is gener- 
ally thought to be the case by the children of 
men. 

I have remembered in this meeting, a short 
lesson recorded in the Scriptures ; a short ac= 
count of the multitude following Jesus. He re- 
tired into a desert place, and the multitude fol- 
lowed him, as it would seem, from the towns 
and villages, where the necessaries of life were 
handy to be got, and they continued with him 
for three days. This has taught me much. 

When they had thus been three days with 
M m 



274 

him, he saw their situation, that they must be 
hungry, and ready to perish, in so much that he 
did not like to send them away fasting, lest they 
should faint by the way. He therefore spoke 
to his disciples to prepare for them ; and when 
search was made, not even the disciples had any 
thing, nor the multitude, but there was one little 
lad found that had five barley loaves and two 
fishes. 

Now you see, my friends, where there is no- 
thing to bless, there can be nothing blessed. 
And you see what an idle situation these people 
were all in ; and how inconsistent they had acted 
in not taking care to liave something with themj, 
to succour them as to their natural life. Among 
the whole multitude, it seems, there was but one 
lad who had this wisdom ; and what a wonder- 
ful blessing it was, that there was even so much; 
for if there had been nothing, it appears there 
could not have been a blessing, for there must 
be something to bless. Now, if we are careful 
to improve, in the best manner we can, here 
surely this care will be blessed of God ; and it 
will be a profitable labour. But where tliere is 
that carelessness and indifference, which was 
manifested in this multitude that I have men- 
tioned, what a deplorable state they must be in, 
when there is not one individual, through whom 
a blessing may be obtained. 

Now the query runs through my mind, — which 



275 

I will put to us, — liow is it here to-day ? is there 
any thing here to bless in this multitude ? Are 
there some present that have brought something 
with them ? If so, it must be from previous in- 
dustry and work ; for this is not the place to 
gather food. This is the place to rejoice in 
having it ; and to thank God for the blessing on 
our former labour. I was induced to put this 
question to us, from a view of this outward ac- 
count, which is a beautiful figure and represen- 
tation of our spiritual concerns and exercises. It 
points to our duty and our care ; that we, all of 
us, endeavour to imitate the lad that I have men^ 
tioned, in a spiritual relation: that when we gather 
into a desert place, like this, we may not be 
destitute, having nothing to bless. Here we 
come together, and might, — if we have been care- 
ful, and have remembered, that the soul wants 
food as well as the body 5 that it cannot subsist 
upon nothing, — ^be favoured to rejoice together. 

We are requested and recommended not to be 
very careful about laying up treasures on earth ; 
but "in heaven, where neither moth nor rust 
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break 
through nor steal.^' Here we are led to believe 
that there is an opportunity to lay up treasure 
in heaven, that is, to be in possession of heaven- 
ly treasure ; or, to use a more proper expression, 
to be in possession of heaven : because heaven 



276 

is a state. It is every where where God is ; and 
heavenly treasure is every where where a person 
has it in his possession. Bat we cannot get it 
through idleness ; we cannot get it through tra- 
ficking, like those whom I have mentioned in a 
literal or moral sense. And yet it is sorrowful, 
to see the very same case in relation to spiritual 
things, which I have mentioned, as existing in 
natural things. There are a great many people 
endeavouring to be possessed of heavenly trea- 
sure, without obtaining it through labour. They 
choose to get it from their neighbours, and to be 
fed by the labourer, while they remain in idle- 
ness, depending upon something without them, 
instead of rightly labouring in their own hearts, 
to dress the garden of their own hearts ; to prune 
every desire and .propensity, in such a manner, 
that it can never extend beyond due bounds ; by 
which they might always keep under the limita- 
tion of truth, by a careful labour of the soul. 
\Yhen this is the case, here we lay up treasure 
in heaven; we have it in our own possession. 
Therefore if we come into a heavenly state — 
which is only brought about in this one way ; 
seeking first the kingdom of God and his righ- 
teousness. Then we have the promise, that " all 
otlier things shall be added.'' Here again, we 
must not let our imaginations range beyond due 
bounds. 

What is meant by ^^all things being added?'' 



277 

Nothing will be added^ but what will be a be- 
nefit to us. We must not suppose the Almighty 
will gratify our desires after great riches. No. 
The things only which are necessary, are all 
that were comprehended in the prayer of Agur ; 
and all these would be made completely ours. 
Under this proper state of reduction, we should 
be willing to say, Lord, it is enough. We should 
have no fear of being too rich, nor should we 
ever have any fear of poverty. Now this is the 
point, and the only happy point, at which we 
ought to be aiming. But, as I observed, many 
are striving to live on the labour of others, in a 
religious sense ; as is manifested in the present 
day. 

Here we see the truth of what was declared 
by one of the Apostles, concerning some who 
would rise up and make merchandise of their 
labour, just like the trafficker in the labours of 
the field, for the sake of gaining a livelihood 
without labouring themselves. 

Here we see many engaged in selling the gos- 
pel; and many others engaged in the same com- 
merce, of buying the gospel. There must be 
buyers, otherwise there could not be sellers ; and 
we find by the words of the apostle, that they 
^^ by feigned words shall make merchandise of 
you." The written experience of good men of 
former ages are the materials, like the corn with- 
out 5 and they have them to traffic with, like the 



278 

merchant without, who takes the effects of true 
labour, and sells them to another. And here 
they buy and sell that which tliey have not la- 
boured for at all. 

Now these, are all, as 1 consider, merchants 
of Babylon. What is Babylon ? Mystery Ba- 
bylon ? Why it is fallen Christendom that makes 
the true mystery Babylon. Her merchandise 
consists in every thing that you can come across. 
The apostle speaks in allusion to this great city 
Babylon, whose merchandise extending all over 
the nations of the earth, brought all under its 
dominion. The traffic was so extensive that they 
dealt in " gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, 
purple, silk, scarlet and fine linen, and in beasts 
and slaves, and the souls of men." Now is not 
all this kind of merchandise going on in fallen 
Christendom? Is it not all true? In the out- 
w^ard it is exactly true. We see it and behold 
it with our eyes; we discover it every day. I 
say, we see the merchandise of this great and 
pompous city Babylon ; this " mystery Babylon 
the great, the mother of harlots, and abomina- 
tions of the earth.'' 

We see men traffic in, and sell to one another, 
as slaves, their fellow creatures. They wrest from 
them their free agency by violence, and when 
they have that, they have every thing; for with- 
out liberty and free agency, their can be no 
blessing worth enjoying. How exactly this 



279 

self state of things corresponds with that to 
which the apostle alludes. The trafficking in 
beasts and slaves^ and the souls of men, is com- 
pletely fulfilled in the present day. Do not men 
barter away their souls, to those of whom the 
apostle speaks, who make merchandise of their 
experience and their words ? Do they not traf- 
lick to save the souls of men ? Here they sell 
tlieir souls really ; because they depend on them 
to save them, when they bring forth nothing but 
the letter, which is outward, external, and has 
no soul in it. It contains the experience of holy 
men of old ; and here these can tell us very fine 
stories, and persuade us to buy their traffick 
of them; and by this means they make mer- 
chandise of the soul itself. 

O my friends, that our spiritual eyes might be 
opened : that we might individually be brought 
to see the workings of this cunning serpent, the 
man of sin and son of perdition. 

What is this serpent ? Why in the allegory 
which Moses has given us, he has allusion to 
the serpent, the natural one; for he says, the ser- 
pent being the most subtle of any beast of the 
field. Here we see, if he was a beast of the 
field, he was not an inhabitant of heaven or of 
hell. Well, what was he? Why he was a 
^^ beast of the field, which the Lord God had 
made ;'^ and which he had pronounced " very 
good.'' Now let us attend to this allusion. It will 



280 

spread great light upon our understandings, be- 
cause he was undoubtedly opening instruction to 
the rational souls of men, as men, as immortal 
beings. Therefore, his words must be consider- 
ed allegorical. As man was to be the head of 
all the lower creation, placed here upon the 
earth as a governor of all, he must necessarily 
be qualified for that important duty; and^ in 
truth and righteousness, he must have the nature 
of all the creatures that were placed under him, 
or he never could sympathise with them, so as 
to do them justice. Here now, this serpent out- 
wardly, which is so subtle in taking his prey, 
creeps upon his belly in the grass ; he whisks 
his tail to attract the attention of the little ani- 
mals, while he is watching, and, if they come too 
near, he seizes them. So it is with serpentine 
wisdom. Now this wisdom is in man, and this 
wisdom is that whicli, when we give way to it, 
leads us to endeavour to be rising above, and su- 
perior to all the rest of the sons of men ; and 
leads us to presume to decide for ourselves, by 
which we partake of the forbidden fruit. In- 
stead of waiting God's time, we presume in 
God's stead, to decide for ourselves. See, this 
is the temptation of that cunning serpentine wis- 
dom in man : it is a part of the propensity in man, 
that seeks after knowledge. And here it is, that 
this comes to be a master passion, and takes 
the seat of God in the heart, and " exalts it- 



281 

above all that is called God, or that is worship- 
ped.'' This is '^ the man of sin and son of per- 
dition." Paul explains it pretty fully, when he 
takes a view of the state of the christian church, 
which was a very weak one, as the child's state 
is weak, therefore the first introduction of the gos- 
pel, is the child's state. It must be but weak ; 
the disciples had so many things to war with, 
that they could not rise entirely above them, 
which kept them in some sort in the child's state, 
in leading strings. We see how very hard it 
was for them to give up the ceremonies of their 
law. Here now, it shows to us, how weak this 
primitive state was ; and yet when we attend to 
it, we find that it was that alone which could 
open the gospel state. And though we see they 
were kept in a state of weakness, through their 
attachment to these external things — though they 
were hanging, some of them, in these traditions ; 
yet though this was but the child's state, which 
was to be left, they were brought in it so far that 
they rose to such conspicuous excellence, as to 
hold all things in common ; brotherly love pre- 
vailed ; true christian love prevailed with many. 
But this was a state that would not stand. He 
beheld beyond this state a better one. But he 
says, there must be a falling away first ; the man 
of sin and son of perdition must be revealed, in 
the last dispensation of God to the children of 
men. But that cunning serpentine wisdom will 



282 

not have an opportunity to transform itself into 
an angel of light, so as to defeat the gospel. 

Every good thing has its counterfeit. As the 
gospel was then manifested through the honest 
labour of Jesus Christ, so here now, the cun- 
ning wisdom of the creature, began to interfere 
and work in the dark, and to lead off from an 
attention to the wisdom of God, which is alone 
manifested by his light in our souls — that spirit 
of truth which Jesus commanded his disciples 
fo wait for, and without which, they were to do 
nothing. By this they were led and guided in- 
to all truth, and consequently out of all error. 
By this they were shown the one thing needful : 
and it is the only thing needful ; because every 
thing else that is done, is done aright as we look to 
it. So, here now, tliis serpentine cunning wisdom 
led them to work in their own imaginations, and 
to cry out, "I am of Paul, and I of ApoUos, and 
I of Cephas," and some who were wiser, "I of 
Christ,'^ as he stood highest in outward mani- 
festation. And yet all four of them were wrong. 
Because those who said, " Christ,'' no doubt 
meant the outward Christ, as he was limited to 
that particular people. They were the people 
that he was to heal outwardly, as he blessed the 
loaves to feed the multitude. Now, see how 
clear it is ; it goes to the animal body, and not 
to the soul : the dispensation was outward and 
external, and related to the animal body. It 



283 

was the way and means whereby God Almigh- 
ty saved the souls of the children of men from 
diseases and sins. It w^s a figure of the true 
thing. It was no more than a figure and a sha- 
dow. The substance was comprehended in the 
power of God. The gospel is the " power of God 
unto salvation ;" and^ therefore, this power must 
be in every christian. For nothing could save, and 
nothing ever did save, a son of Adam, but the 
power of God ; and that power of God must be 
in the soul, otherwise it can avail us nothing — - 
no more, my friends, than medicine without us, 
will save these animal bodies. We must take it 
in us, or it will not answer. So with the power 
of God, it must rule in our souls; by which 
means, as we give up to him, — ^give up all our 
serpentine wisdom, he can bind the man of sin, 
the strong man, and cast him out. But as we 
are free agents, he does not act by force ; he will 
not turn out this man of sin, till we are willing to 
surrender him ; till we are willing to surrender 
the culprit up to justice. How beautifully this is 
illustrated in some of the parables which Jesus 
set forth to his disciples : and in none of them 
is it more simple and easy, than in the one con- 
cerning the kingdom of God. He, in this plain 
and simple manner, thus addresses his disciples 
and the people : " The kingdom of God cometh 
not with outward observation;" — which was as 
much as to say, that all reading, in a purely ex» 



284 

teriial sense, would never bring us to an acquaint- 
ance with the kingdom of God. No books or 
wisdom that we can gather from without, will 
ever bring us to a knowledge of it. Then we 
should turn in to the divine light in the soul. 
We never shall come to know it, till we are 
brought to believe what he has declared, "The 
kingdom of God is within you.'' How is this ? 
What does he mean by this ? He explains it, 
by bringing it to our capacity, and to our own 
experience. " To what/' says he, ^^ shall I 
liken it? It is like leaven, which a woman took 
and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole 
was leavened." 

Now, we must remember that he was speak- 
ing to rational beings ; and every rational being 
knows what meal is, and that it has no power of 
resistance, and it is therefore capable of being 
acted upon by any other power. But it is not 
so with man ; he is not as passive as the meal, 
while in his natural state, still he is capable of 
becoming passive. Now when leaven is put in 
meal it soon makes the meal feel its operation 5 
and so with this kingdom ; although it may be 
so small, that many have overlooked it from 
youth to old age, and have paid little or no atten- 
tion to it — as they go on in this natural state, and 
do not believe in this kingdom, they never can 
know what it really is ; because they have not 
been passive to its operation, and of course are 



285 

out of the kingdom of heaven, and know nothing 
about it. We are of course unprepared to meet 
our God. 

But. my friends, now let me appeal to us. 
However little this thing is, do we not all know 
something of it ? Although it may be very small, 
do we not feel it in us ? What is it that makes 
us feel uneasy at times ? Now we must all have 
experienced this feeling. It must be the stirring 
of something, in opposition to our present state 
and condition. When we do any thing which 
is not consistent with righteousness and truth, 
we feel the stirrings of the leaven of the king- 
dom of God within us. For God is always in 
his kingdom, and stands in direct opposition to 
vice. Therefore, every little act which we com- 
mit, that he has shown by the light of this king- 
dom to be wrong, impresses us with a sense of 
guilt, which lies as a burthen upon our minds. 
The moment we feel this kind of guilt, that mo- 
ment we are assured, that we have gone counter 
to the divine law ; we have transgressed against 
righteousness. For nothing but a sense of this, 
can produce guilt in the rational souls of the chil- 
dren of men. 

Here now, is clearly opened to us, that thing 
which Jesus called the kingdom of God within 
us. It is stirring in us, and in its first operation, 
convicts us, as Jesus told his disciples ; ^^ and 
when he is come, he will reprove the world of 



286 

sin, and of righteousness, and of judgmeni?^ 
Have we not been reproved ? If we have been, 
then we know that the Comforter is come — that 
he has got a place in our hearts. He is watch- 
ing over us for good, and reproves us when we 
do wrong. This is the same thing as the king- 
dom of God ; this is the spirit of truth ; this is 
the spirit that is given to every rational creature 
under heaven to profit with. When it begins its 
work, we have the power of resistance. We 
can oppose it, we can reason against it, to gratify 
our own carnal desires, till we become darken- 
ed, and finally yield up to the temptations that 
are besetting us. And here, instead of becoming 
passive, men resist and turn their backs upon it, 
and go on in their old career. Tims they never 
come to understand what the kingdom of God is. 
Thus tliey never know salvation by it. No, be- 
cause they are determined to save themselves, 
and so are never saved. 

Now this is the ground of all hireling minis- 
try. Because these want to go on in their own 
wills, they will pay a man to do the work for 
them ; to teach that wliich nothing but the king- 
dom of God within us can teach. Neither I nor 
any other minister of the gospel that ever was, 
can do the work for another. No, not all the 
ministers on earth can do it. No man can save 
his brother, or give a ransom for his soul. 

Oh ! that we might turn more inwardly; be more 



287 

spiritually minded. Oh! that we might exercise 
our rational powers, in a better way than too ma- 
ny of us do. We shall learn and understand these 
things, and see them in the clear light of day, 
if we come into a passive state, under the teach- 
ings of the divine light and spirit of truth in our 
own hearts. This must be self-evident to eve- 
ry one of us, for it has reproved every one of 
us. 

What is meant by reproving the world of 
siri ? The fallen souls of the children of men 
constitute the world here intended. " And when 
lie is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and 
of righteousness, and of judgment He will 
first reprove us of sin, for our transgressions ; 
and when we yield in submission ; when we con- 
sent to become the meal, and suffer him to be 
the leaven, he will bring us out of our sins ; he 
will bring us off and convince us, and if we re- 
pent and reform, he will become reconciled to 
us. 

^^He will reprove the world of sin, and of 
righteousness, and of judgment." He will justi- 
fy us for our righteousness ; he will open our 
understanding and our judgment, so that we 
shall know what to do, and what to leave un- 
done. He will open the path in which we are 
to walk. Here we shall individually experience 
with the psalmist, that " night unto night show- 
eth knowledge." Our fi?st step is, to surrender 



288 

ourselves up to a passive obedience to the divine 
law, or the kingdom of God in our own souls. 
We can find it no where else, my friends. Many 
despise it, and so cannot come to.it. They ad- 
mit the light in man, but think it insufficient ; — 
that it is not sufficient to lead him in the way of 
salvation, but that there must be something great- 
er ; and while they are looking for something 
greater, they miss their aim, and continue in 
darkness till they die ; for there is but one means 
of salvation for the children of men, and that is 
within them, and no where else to be found. 

It is a great truth, which Jesus declared, that 
^Hhe kingdom of heaven is within you." Its power 
is as the leaven to the meal. We read that the 
little leaven leavened the three measures of meal, 
till the whole meal became leavened. So it 
would be with the rational soul, as it is led ua- 
der the influence of this little kingdom, or mani 
festation of light. Although it is small, it would 
show us our darkness, and as we were concerned 
to take heed to it we should come to know the 
soul brought under that great eternal, unchange- 
able law of love and light, that God made with 
his creature man in the beginning ; and which 
government is called the new covenant. But it 
was not new, only to Israel ; for he had never 
made this outward covenant with any but the 
Jews. It therefore could be new only to them. To 
us, it is an eternal, unchangeable covenant of love 



289 

and light, made by the Creator in the beginning, 
upon the condition, that if we would obey him 
in all things, we should become communicants 
with him, and grow up into a state and condi- 
tion so glorified, as to have a habitation with 
him. Although we have all fallen, " we have 
all sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" 
yet he has not shut up his mercy. He is follow- 
ing us from youth to old age ; he is wooing of 
us, and reproving us, and using every means a 
wise and just God can use, and doing every 
thing to bring us back, and to gain his rightful 
prerogative in our hearts. All we have to do, is 
to become willing to surrender up the cul- 
prit, the man of sin and son of perdition, who 
has taken the seat of God in the heart, and " ex- 
alted himself above all that is called God, or 
that is worshipped." This is caused by the 
children of men inventing religions by their own 
earthly sciences. Every priest in the land, that 
is made by earthly science, is an enemy to God; 
and in opposition to his calling. He is a minis- 
ter of mystery Babylon. And yet the language 
of the Scriptures is so positive and so clear upon 
the subject. Jesus when he sent out his disciples 
commanded them to take neither purse nor scrip; 
and when they did any good thing, to do it 
freely. Because they were to be passive, as the 
meal, to the divine power. It was that power 
that dwelt in him ; and therefore it is the same 
o o 



290 

light and life that regulated Jesus that is in 
every man ; — a measure of it. 

The light only can qualify a man to be a 
teacher ; and therefore^ as we freely receive, it 
don't require any labour at all. it is no matter 
whether they can read or write in the least de- 
gree. The light in the soul can dictate more 
than all the books in the world ; more than all 
that can be read or comprehended by the exter- 
nal senses. They all fall at the feet of this 
great teacher, this spirit of truth. But man, pre- 
sumptuous man, by judging for himself, under- 
takes to climb up into the tree of knowledge, by 
means of education societies, and seminaries of 
learning. They presume to make gospel minis- 
ters, but it is an abomination in the sight of God; 
and it is inconsistent with every faculty of the 
rational soul. And therefore they are leading 
astray into the paths of death and darkness. 

Oh ! my beloved friends, may we individual- 
ly attend to these things. 1 feel you all to be 
my friends ; for I don't find or feel, that I have 
an enemy on earth. My love is so universal, 
that it reaches to the ends of the earth. Hence 
it is, that I am willing to give up, to spend and 
be spent, for the good of my fellow creatures, 
and the cause of God in the earth ; without mo- 
ney and without price. Nay, I would not dare 
to take the least trifle, lest I should offend my 
God. It would carry evidence that I began to 



29i 

be afraid to trust him who has all the treasures 
of wisdom and knowledge, and every blessing, 
at his command, and is ready to dispense to all, 
by blessing the children of men according to their 
situations and conditions. So that if we get 
right we must be brought to see an end of all 
these seminaries of learning, which are pretend- 
ing to make ministers. All these associations,— 
these Bible Societies, and Missionary Societies 
and Associations, set up in the wisdom of man, 
must all fall to the ground ; they must be broken 
to pieces. We must come to see this ; and we 
may come to see it ; for I trust that I have seen 
it in the light of the Lord, and therefore I can 
have no fellowship with those works of dark- 
ness. And yet, I trust, there may be sincere 
minds engaged in them, through the delusion 
that has taken place, that serpentine wisdom is 
so subtle. 

We read what the apostle declared, that anti- 
christ would transform himself into an angel of 
light, and deceive, if it were possible, the very 
elect. Because those that are not the elect of Grod 
— those that have not elected this divine light for 
their portion, he leads them off and deceives 
them, like as he led Saul off to transgress the 
divine command, and set to work in his own 
will. And we see how offensive it was in the 
divine sight; and they are all offensive, for they 
are set up in the will and wisdom of men, under 



292 

the pretence of doing the Lord's work, when he 
has not commanded them. It was the cause why 
Saul was cast off, and so these are cast off out 
of his favour. 

Now look at it, my friends. I recommend it 
to our last*********I consider it particularly 
irrational, to consider any such thing to come 
from God. If we believe that God is equal and 
righteous in all his ways, that he has made of 
one blood all the families that dwell upon the 
earth, it is impossible that he should be partial; 
and therefore he has been as willing to reveal 
his will to every creature, as he was to our first 
parents; to Moses and the prophets; to Jesus 
Christ and his apostles. He never can set any 
of tliese above us ; because if he did he would be 
partial. His love is the same for all ; and as no 
man can save his brother, or give a ransom for 
his soul, therefore the Almighty must be the 
only deliverer of his people. He comes alike 
into the hearts of all the children of men ; as 
much in the fornicator, in the thief, and in the 
liar, as in me. But there it is dead, because the 
creature is in opposition to God. It lies as a 
dead seed under the sods of tlie earth. Some 
seeds may lie a long time and not vegetate, when 
they are hidden from the influence of the sun and 
the rains. So it is with these souls. The spi- 
rit is ready to do them good, but they shut their 
eyes to it, turn from it, and disregard it. It re- 
proves them and makes their lives miserable, 



298 

still they go on in their earthly career and wick- 
ed pursuits. It is so with all who have not 
come to know a reconciliation with God. We 
are all more or less in the same predicament, in 
the same proportion as we resist the kingdom of 
God, and the light of the spirit in our own souls. 
For every resistance brings a degree of darkness 
and condemnation upon the soul. That I may 
say with a great deal of assurance, it is the de- 
sire and the prayer of my spirit, that we might 
think for ourselves; that we might no longer 
place our faith upon another's sleeve. There is 
nothing can give us faith but God. Faith is the 
gift of God. But this faitii in creeds and the 
traditions of our fathers, what is it ? It is worse 
than nothing. We had better have no faith at 
all. It is no better than the faith of devils. 
^^Thou believest that their is one God; thou doest 
well: the devils also believe and tremble." Who 
are the devils ? Apostate men and women who 
go contrary to God ? They are all devils. Every 
thing that is in opposition to the will of God is 
a devil. In short they are nothing but what op- 
poses the law of light and the spirit of truth, in 
the heart ; — nothing but what is in opposition to 
the law of God. And that devil is in us all ; as 
sure as the kingdom of God is in us, so sure the 
devil is in us. Were you ever tempted by any 
devil but one in your own souls ? No. You 
never w ere. There it is that we come to know 



294 

Cjrod, and no where else. It is the only place 
where he is manifested. 

We can by learning and science, contemplate 
the heavenly bodies, and the things without us ; 
but when our philosophy goes no further than to 
external science, it can never give a man a true 
and saving belief in God Almighty ; for notiiing 
ever gave a true and saving belief, but his own 
divine impressions on the soul. You see now, 
where is the philosopher, the outward one, that 
by his researches can come to be a christian, 
that will do God true glory, love his neighbour 
as himself, love his enemies, and pray to God 
sincerely for them? With all the philosophy 
they have — their views of heavenly objects, and 
every thing of the outward creation, can it bring 
any to believe rightly in God ? Can it give the 
true knowledge of God and his truth ? It is an 
outward thing, and can give external evidence, 
but no such evidence will do ; it must be internal. 
Outward miracles cannot do it. But though 
there was high evidence of it, yet all this was 
only to confirm the law ; and notwithstanding 
the miracles, they were left in an unsaved state, 
as relates to the soul ; because they all stood in 
external ceremonies, and they must all be left 
behind. We must come to the spirit of truth — 
the Comforter that Jesus recommended his 
disciples to, — which he told them the Father 
would send in his name. What was his name? 



295 

Not the name of Jesus Christ will save us : — no ; 
but that light and life that was in him— that was 
in the beginning with Grod; by which the worlds 
were made, and that light, it is declared, " en- 
lighteneth every man that cometh into the 
world.'' Therefore, every one of us has the 
same light and life, according to his necessity, 
as Jesus Christ had, in his proportion. And 
there is nothing that ever saved any one under 
heaven, but this light ; and this is Grod in the 
soul, revealing himself by his own nature and 
essense; and as we come to this, we shall witness 
the truth of another declaration of the apostle 
Paul: ^^ As many as are led by the spirit of 
God, are the sons of Grod." Now this leading 
by the spirit of God, is the same as the kingdom 
of God, and being subject to the leaven. They 
are still one and the same thing ; they are not 
two things. And as we yield to the leaven, it 
leavens us, and brings us into the divine nature ; 
so that we come to partake of the nature of God, 
the image of God, in which we were first creat- 
ed. What was it that was created in the image 
of God ? I hope there are not any so foolish as 
to suppose, that these animal bodies could have 
been intended. It was the immortal spirit of 
man, which is invisible, having a capacity im- 
pressed upon it — a desire after happiness, that 
all the world, — nay, ten thousand worlds, could 
never satisfy. We all have impressed on our souls 



296 

tliis desire after happiness. This is the cause of all 
our labour and toil. It is all to seek happiness ; and 
when we have gained what we expected to find 
it in, this desire is still as much unsatisfied as 
when we first began. We see in the case of So- 
lomon, that he tried every experiment, and had 
to exclaim, " vanity of vanities, saith the preach- 
er, vanity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation 
of spirit.'' His soul, now, was just as uneasy 
as when he first began. As the soul is immor- 
tal and infinite, nothing can satisfy it but infini- 
ty itself — nothing but God. The souPs great 
loss then, is God ; and it will be tormented, till 
it gains him again. So that God is our last 
prize, my friends. Now, when we are led by 
the spirit, we are brought into his holy nature. 
For " as many as are led by the spirit of God, 
are the sons of God ;" sons and daughters of 
the Most High. As is declared in another place, 
'' 1 will be a Father to true believers, and they 
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord 
God." 

These are those, who become passive to the 
leaven; passive to the operation of light in their 
souls, so that they never resist it, but give up un- 
der its holy influence, and thus become the sons 
of God, " and if sons, then heirs ; heirs of God, 
and joint heirs with Christ.'' 



SERMON XII, 



DELIVERED AT FRIENDS* MEETING-HOUSE, IN THE CITY 
OF TUENTON, N. J. ON FIRST DAY AFTERNOON, 12th OF 
TWELFTH MONTH, 1824, 

My mind was led in the foregoing meetingj to 
give us a view of the use and benefits resulting 
from right labour and industry. It now seems 
turned, to show us the distinction between right 
labour, and that which is not so. Man is ad- 
mitted to be a dependent creature ; a creature 
that does not exist by any power of his own, 
but owes his being entirely to another; and; 
therefore, his labour, his services, nay, all that 
he does, ought to be for the glory and honour of 
him that made him, that preserves him, and 
gives him all that he enjoys. As man did not 
make himself, so he is not made for himself, to 
serve himself, or to direct himself according to his 
own will : but he ought always to demean him» 
self as the servant of another. This is clearly 
illustrated in the parable that Jesus put forth, 
concerning the talents dispensed to three differ- 
ent servants. To one was given five talents, to 
another three, and to another one: and they 
were to occupy with these talents, and to im- 



298 

prove them ; not for themselves, not for then' own 
honour and glory, but to glorify him that com- 
mitted them to their charge. 

Now this view accords with what we general- 
ly unite in ; that the chief end of man is, to 
glorify God and enjoy him. And here we see, 
clearly, when he is brought into a state of sub- 
jection and willingness to be the Lord's servant 
at all times, and to do every thing for his sake 
and his honour, we see wherein the reward lies ; 
that for these services we are to have a right en- 
joyment of him. Surely, then, all right labour 
consists in obeying the divine will ; and in im- 
proving the privileges he blesses us with ; that 
we may return an account to him that gives us 
these blessings. 

The contrast is very clear, in relation to these 
three servants. The two first, — the five talented 
and the three talented servants, occupied their 
talents in such a way, that they gained, the one 
^\e and the other two. They laboured consist- 
ently; — their service was consistent with their na- 
ture and being, and the result was, ^' Well done, 
thou good and faithful servant ; thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler 
over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord." Here the favour of their master was 
above all other rewards, and above all praise. 
But the other servant, although he had sufficient 
to have brought him into the same enjoyment, 



299 

liad he occupied his talent rightly ; we read that 
he put his talent into a napkin and buried it in 
the earth. You see that this was a parable, for 
Jesus spoke but little to the people, except by 
parable ; and we are to explain them : but we 
cannot do this, unless we apply to him, as the 
disciples did — to him that gives them forth. 

I conceive it very probable, that the one ta- 
lented servant laboured as much as the others ; 
and may be much harder ; but neglected to im- 
prove his Lord's money. It is no ways probable, 
however, that he was idle, but lie worked for 
himself; and he might have done it, under a 
show of being the Lord's servant, by putting it 
in a napkin, which may be a fair pretence to re- 
ligion and virtue, and as a show among men : 
yet his mind was earthly, and all his labour 
tended to his own aggrandizement. So that we 
here clearly understand, that if we, as depend- 
ent creatures, who profess to be the servants of 
God, are doing our own wills, under pretence of 
being servants, we are putting our talent in a 
napkin and hiding it in the earth ; and, therefore, 
we are earthly minded, because we profess to be 
another's servants, and yet are determined to do 
our own work instead of his. This may be the 
case both in a moral £ind religious sense. For 
no doubt, as servants and dependent creatures, 
we are not possessed of any knowledge of our 
own ; nor can we derive any knowledge to our- 



800 

selves, — any true knowledge, while we are de- 
pendent creatures, wholly under the Father, and 
dependent on him for every thing we have, or 
can have, or enjoy. Therefore, if we have any 
true knowledge, we must have it from that 
source, from which we have our being. Every 
sensible man must acknowledge, that he brought 
no knowledge into the world with him.^ We 
have been created and placed here with two 
ways to obtain knowledge ; as well as two kinds 
of knowledge to be acquired, one is the wis- 
dom of the world, and the other is the wisdom 
of God. 

Now, as man brings no knowledge into the 
world with him, through what medium is he to 
obtain it ? As none is good but God, so none is 
wise but him. And as all wisdom and know- 
ledge must be comprehended in the divine essence 
of the Almighty, so it is clear that he has the 
only absolute knowledge and control of it all. 
From whence, then, can man derive any right 
knowledge except from this source ? Can he de- 
rive it from any other source, by his own efforts ? 
Surely he cannot. There is but the one way to 
acquire true knowledge. Man, therefore, must 
look to God who made him ; he must be sin- 
cerely looking to, and depending on him, to re- 
ceive it from him ; because there is no true know- 
ledge any where else. Hence we see, why it is, 
that all the wisdom of the world, and all the sci- 



301 

ence that man derives to himself by his own pow- 
er, is considered as foolishness with Grod. And all 
his wisdom, as it respects a saving knowledge of 
God, must fall short of bringing him to a know- 
ledge of it. This is fairly settled in the conclu- 
sive argument of the apostle Paul. It appeals 
to us as reasonable beings. "For what man 
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of 
man which is in him? Even so the things of 
God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God.'' 
His premises are fair, rational, easily understood 
and comprehended ; because we individually 
know, that no creatures inferior to man, can ever 
arrive at a knowledge of the doings of man ; 
and, therefore, they cannot arrive at the happi- 
ness of man, nor the knowledge of man. In or- 
der to this they must be raised up into the 
spirit of man. Until they are thus raised up, 
they must remain under man, and inferior to 
man ; and, therefore, they cannot enjoy the hap- 
piness and consolation of rational man. 

It is then, conclusively true, that no man or 
woman, — no rational being under heaven, can ar- 
rive at a knowledge of the things of God, only 
through the spirit of God. Man in his natural 
state is as much below the Divine Being, as infe- 
rior beings are below man. Here then we see, 
my friends, he can have no true and saving 
knowledge, unless he is led, and guided, and 
instructed by the spirit of God. "But the na- 



302 

tural man receiveth not the things of the spirit 
of God : for they are foolishness unto him : nei- 
ther can he know them for they are spiritually 
discerned." Here we see why the wisdom of 
this world is foolishness with God; because man 
in his fallen state can see nothing wise or beau- 
tiful in the things of God ; and while he remains 
in a natural and fallen state, he delights more in 
his own inventions and his own researches, and 
the wisdom that he has taught or prescribed for 
himself, than he does in the wisdom of God. So 
the wisdom of God is foolishness to man 5 and 
the wisdom of man is foolishness to God. 

My mind seems led to endeavour to convince 
you, my friends and fellow travellers towards an 
eternal state, of the great necessity there is, 
while we are in our progress through time; 
while we are in this state of probation and trial, 
to turn inward, to the witness for God in our 
own hearts, individually. It is important, in 
order that we may profit by the light in our own 
minds, that we humble ourselves to a proper 
state to receive true wisdom ; and if we attend 
to this as we ought, I trust we shall begin to 
know ourselves. 

The first step to wisdom, is for man to know 
himself; to see what a poor miserable creature 
he is, and how destitute he is of wisdom and 
true knowledge ; that he is altogether destitute 
of them in himself. There is nothing which will 



303 

so readily bring the creature into a state of hu- 
miliation as a clear knowledge of himself. I 
conceive that if we could see ourselves as we 
oughtj and as we really are, it must humble eve- 
ry soul in the dust. We should see our depen- 
dence^ our impotence, our imbecility, and our 
want of every portion of right knowledge. It is 
this humiliated state into which a man is brought 
by a consciousness of his own condition, that 
prepares him to be instructed by a higher power. 
We are to Avait, to meditate, and not be weary 
in waiting upon God. We may remember the 
command of Jesus to his disciples ; when they 
were looking up to him, as their only oracle. 
They had no other object before them, from 
whence they were expecting to derive right 
knowledge and instruction. It was right that 
they should look up to him, for their views could 
not, under that dispensation, be raised any high- 
er, while this veil remained over the temple out- 
wardly. For we see that every thing which they 
were looking at externally, was a veil. Jesus 
himself was a veil over his disciples; they could 
not rise to look any higher, whilst he was with 
them. They considered him completely perfect 
in relation to all their wants : he was in his out- 
ward manifestation a complete veil. 

He could lead them by the external rites and 
ceremonies that had been given them by God, 
through his servant Moses. They looked for 



3G4 

nothing more : this was the summit of their ex-* 
pectatious and views : and so even here, their 
Messiah, Jesus Christ, was a veil between 
God and the souls of his disciples. It is clearly 
so ; and must be self-evident to every rational 
mind. Jesus himself confirms it in the most em- 
phatic manner. He had repeatedly endeavoured 
to draw their attention off from their high expec- 
tations concerning him. He told them that he 
should be taken from them and suffer death. But 
they would not believe, and he had to rebuke 
them for their unwillingness. And at a certain 
time he recounted to them on this wise. ^' Be 
cause 1 have told you these things, sorrow hath 
filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the 
truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: 
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not 
come unto you.'^ See now how plain this is ; 
as 1 have told you. Jesus was in that state as 
complete a veil between the souls of his disci- 
pies and their heavenly father, as the veil which 
separated the tabernacle and the holy place 
within. 

Here now he assures them he must go away, 
and that they must lose all dependence upon 
him ; that they must be brought into a state and 
condition in which they would see themselves, 
in the way I have a little back mentioned, to be 
poor, senseless, unworthy, dependent creatures, 
without power to take one step aright. 



305 

Here they began to feel the certainty of what 
he had expressed, ^^ For without me ye can do 
nothing.'' Even when he was with them it was 
so ; and when he was gone from them they found 
they could do nothing at all, till the power came 
to them. He commanded them to wait for in- 
struction. " li is expedient for you that I go 
away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will 
not come unto you." 

Here now we see that if Jesus had continued 
in the flesh till this day, the gospel never could 
have entered, and the Comforter could not have 
come ; because they were not prepared, nor could 
they be, until they were reduced into that hu- 
miliated state, and reduction from all depen- 
dence from without ; even upon Jesus Christ, in 
his outward manifestation. We must give it all 
up, — all knowledge and dependence upon ex- 
ternal things, — otherwise there will be a veil be- 
tween our souls and our God. " If I go away" 
— now see his goodness ! — " I will pray the Fa- 
ther, and he will send you another Comforter." 

Another cannot be the same. He was a Com- 
forter to the Jews ; he was an outward Comfor- 
ter and instructer ; and it was their duty to at- 
tend to him in a great measure ; because he was 
sent to lead them up by a righteous fulfilment of 
the law ; and when this was effected, to open a 
more glorious dispensation, and to set before their 



306 

eyes a more excellent state to be sought after and 
secured. 

Now that which hindered the disciples, must 
have continually hindered them. I trust, my 
friends, that your common understanding ena- 
bles you to see this. While Jesus remained 
with them, he was a veil which hindered their 
access to the divine light in their own souls. He 
therefore assured them that he must go away ; 
that the world should see him no more : that is, 
men should see him no more, with their exter- 
nal senses ; that he would no more appear ex- 
ternally among the children of men; but that 
there would be something in his stead, as much 
above his outward manifestation as heaven is 
above the earth. This was the spirit of truth ; 
the Holy Ghost ; the light and life that was in 
Jesus Christ, and which was to be as a rule and 
guide, invisible to the external view of his disci- 
ples. They saw it not ; it was invisible to them. 

They saw the wonderful effects of it in the 
outward miracles which Jesus performed ; and 
were thereby induced to believe in him as their 
Messiah. Yet it is astonishing, that notwith- 
standing the many miracles he did, how few 
believers he got. We see then the weak- 
ness of outward miracles ; that they were of lit- 
tle use to men, except to save their outward bo- 
dies from diseases, and to save the children of 
Israel from the outward bondage of Pharaoh and 



SOI 

Ilis people. And so all that outward miracles 
can do — all that they have ever done— with the 
law and propliets, — sink into littleness, when 
compared with a knowledge of the gracious dis- 
pensation of the gospel, when we are brought to 
feel its pow er and its sufficiency ; w hich w ill be 
the case if we are brought into true righteous- 
ness. And this is the work of the spirit of Grod : 
for the true and saving knowledge of Grod can 
only be taught by the spirit of God. That is 
the only thing tliat can save us.******^*And 
this Comforter they were to wait for, but how 
long Jesus could not tell them. He acknow- 
ledged to them that the times and the seasons 
were in the Father's hands, and the son could 
not tell them. Not even the angels in heaven 
could tell, for they did not know them. There- 
fore they were to tarry at Jerusalem. Here, 
again, we ought to reflect and consider, that as 
this was an outward place of rest,^**^****** 
^**And what is the true signiiication of Jerusa- 
lem ? It is a quiet place ; a habitation of quietude ; 
a state of stillness. But it is for us now to wait 
in humble silence in the secret of our own hearts : 
that Jerusalem that we are to wait in, is in the 
secret of our hearts ; there we are to wait till the 
Lord is pleased to send the Comforter, and show 
us our condition, spiritually. Jesus told his dis- 
ciples that the Holy Spirit when he should come, 
would "reprove the world of sin, and of righte- 



308 

imsness, and of judgment." He also assured 
them wliere they would find him ; " for he dwel- 
leth with you ; and shall be in you.'' So then, if 
we ever become acquainted w ith the true comfor- 
ter, we shall find him in our own hearts — in our 
immortal spirits, and no where else. 

There is nothing under heaven, that is a reci- 
pient for the teachings of the Holy Spirit of God^ 
but the rational souls of men and women. No- 
thing is a recipient of revelation but the im- 
mortal spirits of men and women. Take away 
our reason, and we can have no knowledge 
of revelation at all. Therefore, notliing but 
the rational spirits of men and women, can 
ever become the children of God. And this is 
only to be effected, in the way that many pas- 
sages of scripture have pointed out to us. They 
point us to the true plan, but still they do not 
enable us to effect the purpose. Nothing can 
make us believe rightly, but our own knowledge 
and experience. It is as necessary for us to wait 
at Jerusalem till we receive knowledge from on 
high, as it was for the disciples ; for as they 
could not bear testimony of the son, till this 
power came upon them, so neither can we. Now, 
when this comes to be the case, that man is left 
to himself, he feels his own impotence, — although 
he may have been doing abundance like Saul, 
who was afterward called Paul. He had great 
zeal for God as an instrument to promote reli- 



309 

gion^ as he supposed, in righteousness. But it 
was all in his own way, and it therefore made 
him a persecutor ; and so does all religion which 
is the religion of man. The religion of man's 
building and man's contrivance, consisting in 
outward ceremonies, does not make the comers 
thereto perfect. It leaves the soul in the same 
state, and with the same nature. But when we 
come to wait, as Paul waited, after he was met 
on his way to Damascus, we shall be enlighten- 
ed as he was. He was blind for some days, and 
knew not what to do : but when he was enlight- 
ened, and the way was opened to him, he seems 
now ready to set about the good work. And 
he became as zealous in the way which was 
opened to him, as he had been in the wrong way ; 
and I have no doubt, that the same thing has 
frequently been the case, with new beginners in 
the work of reformation, when enlightened by 
the revelation and operation of truth upon the 
mind. They want to make amends for their 
past follies, and set about their work as Paul 
did. He acknowledges, " for the good that I 
would, I do not : but the evil which I would 
not, that I do.'' 

The reasonable man that is enlightened, so as 
to know the true nature and tendency of man's 
spirit, is willing to be reduced to a state of obe- 
dience, to the divine will. And here, the ene- 
my, the tempter, the man of sin that dwells in 



310 

us, sets US' to work; and sometimes suggests 
something to be done. He works like an angel 
of light, and deceives the simple hearted, and 
sets them at work, when they ought to be quiet. 
It Avas so with Paul ; and we see he could 
do nothing which would avail. He now cries 
out in the anguish of his spirit ; '' O wretched 
man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death ?" Oh ! this happy state ! 
May it be our individual experience. It is an 
excellent symptom ; for then, no doubt, we shall 
be brought to that state of rejoicing which the 
apostle mentioned. 

Saul, when he had given all up, and surren- 
dered every thing, and found that he could do 
nothing good, and had not a right to desire it, 
but only to wait and be as the mere clay to the 
potter, and let the Lord fashion him according to 
his will. When he was brought to this state, 
then he felt the divine power ; then he thanked 
the Lord. " There is, therefore, now no con- 
demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus ; who 
walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." 
That is, in the image of his righteousness ; in the 
image of his filial obedience, in which he kept, 
having no will at all of his own. ^' I came not 
to do mine own will, but the will of him that 
sent me.'^ ^^ There is, therefore, now no con- 
demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, 
who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. 



311 

For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesiis^ 
hath made me free from the law of sin and death." 
What a blessed experience! — ^and it is what 
we may all look for and aspire after. It is what 
all may attain to, through the grace of God. 

The Comforter is no where to be found but in 
our own souls. All the means of man's salva- 
tion are comprehended in him, which is the light 
within him, and God within him : for there 
must be a portion of the Creator in every thing 
that is created. It is not only in the soul, but in 
every thing else which is created ; because eve- 
ry effect must rest upon its cause. We see no- 
thing growing, but what God is in it. Would 
they not fall into annihilation without the pre- 
sence of that power which created them ? God 
has given to the tree a capacity to grow, but if his 
power was withdrawn, it would fall into annihi- 
lation. 

How much more reasonable it is, then, to sup- 
pose that God will ever be in the souls of men 
and women, whom he has made for the purpose 
of his own glory ; that they might grow up in 
liis spirit, and in a knowledge of his law in their 
souls, from a state of innocence, to a virtuous 
and glorified state ; so as to be fit to unite with 
him, in the realms of eternal blessedness. 

What a high and great state and condition 
we are made for ! Then why should we barter 



312 

these blessings away, these great benefits, for a 
little dross ? Why are we so unwilling to be 
what we ought to be ? We must be willing to be 
dependent creatures, that must receive every 
thing from another. When we undertake to do 
something for ourselves, we rob him of his right. 
Because lie has a right to all our labour ; and 
we have no right to dispose of it all, for we 
should be as his servants, and ought to consider 
ourselves at his disposal at all times. Whether 
we eat or drink, or put on apparel ; if we are such 
servants as our state and condition prove that 
we ought to be, we ought not to have our own 
way, even in doing these things. All is to be 
done to the glory of God, which is the end of 
our creation. Here then the blessing would 
come ; but until we come to this, to do as humili- 
ated children before the Lord, we fall short of all 
his blessings. Although he may indulge us in some 
earthly blessings, yet what consolation can we 
have in them whilst the mind has not come into a 
state of perfect peace with Grod, and the children 
of men. So that the one great thing necessary 
is, for men and women to become willing, to re- 
nounce their own will. The doctrines of the 
scriptures are full to this point: but notwithstand- 
ing they are as plain as A^ B, C, and we continue 
to read them from youth to old age, what does it 
do? Nothing follows from our works, that is 
agreeable to what we read. Because this read- 



313 

iiig shows no reduction of our will ; we^o on do- 
ing our own will entirely, as much as if we had 
never seen nor heard of such a book. Here we 
see, that these external things cannot be a rule ; 
they possess no power at all, to do it. They are 
mere names ; they are nothing but an effect ; 
and, therefore, if we are to receive any comfort 
or consolation, it must be when, through the ope- 
ration of Grod upon our hearts, we are brought 
into subjection to the divine will, and to wait 
for the revelation of his spirit, to show us what 
is right and what is wrong. When this is the 
case, we can read the scriptures to advantage, 
because we have the witness in ourselves, which 
has revealed these truths before we read them; 
and now it is only a secondary confirmation when 
we read. When we have come to experience and 
know for ourselves, then, when we read the expe- 
rience of those who have gone before, they are on- 
ly a witness or evidence of what we have learned 
through a better source. And great harm — ve- 
ry great mischief, has arisen to the children of 
men, by placing their dependence on external 
things. 

The Jewish nation, placed their dependence and 
happiness upon the outward law and covenant ; 
and, therefore, when Jesus came to put an end 
to the dispensation, and to the commandments 
given through Moses, how offended they were. 
They were not willing to be instructed. They 
n r 



311 

still cleaved to their old covenant, and there- 
fore Jesus could say after this manner : ^' Ye 
search the scriptures ; for in them ye think ye 
have eternal life ; and they are they which testi- 
fy of me. But ye will not come to me/' and see, 
and hear, and know, hy which you would read 
the scriptures in a different manner. 

Now the book we read in, says, ^^ search the 
scriptures :" but this is incorrect ; we must ail 
see it is incorrect ; because we have all reason to 
believe they read the scriptures, and hence, they 
accused Jesus of being an impostor. They were 
more intent upon reading the scriptures than any 
other people under heaven. They read them, 
thinking that through them, they could become 
Avise, by the letter. This it was, that kept them 
in darkness, their dependence on an outward 
letter. We understand that even the Gentile 
people would appeal to them, concerning where 
Jesus was to be born. They supposed these 
scribes and pliarisees could interpret the prophe> 
cies of the prophets. Therefore they read their 
prophets. 

It is undoubtedly so, in the opening of the 
subject. Ye appeal to them, for ye think ye have 
in them eternal life. He did not say that they 
had eternal life in them, but quite the contrary. 
^^ Ye search the scriptures ; for in them ye think 
ye have eternal life ; and they are they which 
testify of me." But ye are ignorant after alL 



315 

The light which is in the soul is the alone in- 
structer, wliich can open your understanding, 
so that you will believe in me. It will unfold to 
you that I am he that was to come. The pro- 
phets prophesied, and Moses testified, that the 
Lord their God would raise up a prophet from 
among their brethren, like unto Moses, to whom 
ye shall hearken. To this the Lord Almighty 
subjoins his testimony to Moses. ^^ I will raise 
them up a prophet from among their brethren, 
like unto thee ; and will put my words in his 
mouth.^' Now Moses was a faithful servant of 
God; and a deliverer of Israel. Here now, this 
great prophet Moses was the foundation stone ; 
but Jesus was the top-stone and finisher. They 
together were to make the building complete. 

But here we see that the people have been 
depending upon the letter. Oh ! what mischief 
has this done in Christendom! What dreadful 
work has it made among the children of men ! 
It proves itself, what it is ; that it is nothing but 
a history of passing events, which occurred 
eighteen hundred years ago, a great portion of 
which may be true; a great deal was the imme- 
diate experience of the servants of the Lord, and 
opened to them by his revealing spirit, — -which 
they have written. But, look back at Christen- 
dom, at its rise. Here we see Jesus calling them 
to an account for attending to the Scriptures ; 
and we see in a short time after, that by appli- 



316 

cation to these books, contention entered and di- 
vided Christian professors. They were divided 
by the letter, for it is the letter that kills ; it is 
the letter that divides in Christendom. This is 
plain to every rational mind. It is as clear as 
the sun at noon-day. It has divided into hun- 
dreds of sects, all fixing their foundation upon 
this literal book, as though it were a sufficient 
rule. And so long as it is considered so, there 
may be hundreds and thousands, for every one 
can put on a new construction, and give it a dif- 
ferent interpretation. There never was any thing 
made more a nose of wax of, than the Bible : 
and it is the most mischievous thing, when held 
up above what it is. 

It is not the book, or what is contained in it ; 
for it is all innocent. But it is because we are 
not willing to come to the spirit, and understand 
it. For if we would come to the spirit, undoubt- 
edly the spirit would interpret it, so that we 
should see eye to eye. But we never shall see 
eye to eye, until we turn from the book, and 
wait in silence upon God, till he shall be pleased 
to reveal his will, and then we shall see with 
one light and one spirit ; and when we read it 
under this influence, we shall understand it. 
This influence being the same in all, we should 
understand it alike ; its interpretation would be 
the same to all; it would carry comfort and con- 
solation to the soul, and we should be led by the 



817 

same spirit that led the writers of the scriptures, 
so many years ago. But we never can know 
their merits till we come to this law. Therefore, 
if the scriptures could not be written only by 
the spirit of God, neither can we understand 
them aright, except by the influence of the same 
spirit of inspiration. As inspiration alone could 
indite, so nothing but inspiration can enable us 
to understand the scriptures as we should. The 
scriptures are not the cause, they are only the 
effect. They are worthy of being read if any 
book is worthy of reading ; but we should be 
raised above all books. Jesus I consider above 
all books ; and I consider that what is written 
concerning him, his precepts, and example, com- 
prehends more than all the books on earth. I 
say more, because he was the top-stone of ex- 
ternal information. He was at the fountain head 
of divine inspiration ; and he told his disciples^ 
they must not look for his continuance ; for he 
must be as a veil, making a separation between 
them and their God. He must leave them ; they 
must turn inward to the Comforter within; as all 
that we know of God must be known in us. 

It is therefore necessary for every individual 
of us to adhere to the same counsel, and wait 
from season to season, till he is pleased to re- 
veal his will, and open to us the difference be- 
tween right and wrong. For God must be the tree 
of tlie knowledge of good and evil. There was 



318 

no tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but 
God himself. Can we suppose there was any 
thing that could distinguish between good and 
evil, but that God who created all things. There- 
fore man, by assuming to know good and evil^ 
contrary to the commands of God, was guilty of 
taking the fruit of the tree. It is an allegory. 
It was in assuming the will and power to decide 
for himself, that man turned away from the di- 
vine law written upon the heart ; for the inter- 
course between God and our first parents, was 
the same as the intercourse now. It was an in- 
visible intercourse to all mortal creatures ; and 
therefore, as we are brought to see and feel our 
own impotence, and to know that we are nothing 
of ourselves, and that we have no ability to dis- 
tinguish between good and evil, we shall begin 
to see the necessity of waiting to be instructed 
of God, to distinguish between good and evil. 
Hence as we are attentive to his light and grace, 
we shall come to distinguish between right and 
wrong. 

I do not know, how better to recommend us to 
it, than by the parable of the leaven and the 
meal. Although this leaven is hidden from the 
external view, yet every soul feels its operation. 
We feel God acting on us: for, what but God 
could reprove us of evil? Is any good but God? 
Will evil rebuke evil? Therefore, when we 
feel reproof, we may be sure that there is nothing 



319 

in us that does it, but God himself. It is him 
in his kingdom, which is the leaven in the soul; 
and as we submit to it, and yield up faithfully 
to its operation, we come to be led by it ; that is, 
to be led by the spirit of God. And " as many 
as are led by the spirit of God, are the sons of 
God." 

Oh, blessed experience! Oh, blessed state! 
Oh ! that we might aspire after it. That we 
might seek it, and leave no stone unturned, till 
we come to know that we are his children. Oh ! 
that we may be led hourly, and every hour, by 
the spirit of God. He would teach us all things, 
and bring all things to our remembrance. Then 
we should know the truth of that declaration of 
the prophet. " The children of the Lord shall 
be taught of the Lord ; and great is the peace 
of all these children. In righteousness shall 
they be established.'' 

I am willing to add, as I feel a great love for 
you all, a sincere desire and prayer for us, that 
we may endeavour to improve the present oppor- 
tunity. We have had an opportunity to reflect, 
which we seldom do without profiting, if we re- 
flect rightly. I feel very desirous that each in- 
dividual should endeavour to improve by the 
present opportunity. I have no doubt that ma- 
ny have seen and heard that which is new to 
them ; and I recommend, that they would not 



320 

judge before the time — not judge with hasty 
judgment. Do not let prejudice guide us in do- 
ing it ; but let us endeavour, seriously, as ac- 
countable creatures, to weigh these things. Wait 
upon God, appeal to him, look to him, that he 
may open our understanding, to see upon which 
side truth lies. Then w^e may all be benefited. 
It is the secret prayer of my soul for us, that we 
may from this time forward, be more engaged to 
seek the Lord. Oh ! may we be mindful to seek 
the Lord while he is to be found. " Seek ye 
the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon 
him, while he is near : Let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : 
and let him return unto the Lord, and he will 
have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he 
will abundantly pardon.'^ He will forgive eve- 
ry repenting sinner : and he never asks any pay, 
my friends. It is a doctrine as dark as mid- 
night darkness, to suppose that the Almighty 
Jehovah, has such a hard nature, that he will 
not forgive a man's transgressions, without tak- 
ing pay for it. It is the doctrine of hirelings. 
The scriptures testify in direct opposition to it. 
Consider the case of the servant who had of his 
master ten thousand talents. Now this was a 
parable. The king should be considered as the 
Almighty ; and the servant considered as a ra- 
tional soul. When he was examined, and found 
ten thousand talents in arrear ; to try his sincer 



321 

iiy, the king ordered that " inasmuch as he had 
notliing to pay, he should he sold, and his wife 
and children, and all that he had, and payment 
to he made. The servant, therefore, fell down 
and besought him, saying, lord, have patience 
with me, and I will pay thee all.'' What was 
done ? Did he say he would never forgive him, 
till he paid him the whole ? No, as he had no- 
thing to pay with, he freely forgave him the 
whole debt. 

O my friends, that we might look to these 
things ! — that we might no longer be deluded by 
false doctrines, and false teachers. Let us come 
home to the witness in our own hearts. For the 
repenting sinner will find favour, as the prodigal 
son found favour with his father. Here we are 
to understand the Almighty in one place, and 
one of his accountable creatures in the other. 
The son had his portion given him, but by indul- 
gence and gratifications, he soon spent his por- 
tion among harlots, and was reduced to great po- 
verty. He remembered in his distress, that in 
his father's house, there was bread enough and 
to spare. " How many hired servants of my fa- 
ther's have bread enough and to spare, and I 
perish with hunger !" Here he was brought in- 
to a humble and contrite state; and it is the 
humble and contrite heart the Lord regards. 
Then be encouraged, my friends, to turn to him. 
^^ 1 will arise and go to my father, and will say 
s s 



322 

unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, 
and in thy sight ; and am no more worthy to be 
called thy son : make me as one of thy hired 
servants.'' 

Well how was it ? When he set off to go, — 
which is the case with a repenting sinner when 
he sets off to seek his heavenly father, — " be- 
hold, when he was yet a great way off, his father 
saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell 
on his neck and kissed him, and commanded the 
best robe to be brought and put on him." But 
did he ask pay ? Did he say to his servant, he 
haili a debt to pay, and he cannot be forgiven till 
he hath made satisfaction? No, it is beneath the 
Almighty to do so ; and none but those who 
love hire, can suppose that the Almighty is to 
be satisfied with a reward. Let every sinner, 
then, have confidence in God, return, repent, and 
live. 



THE END, 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: April 2006 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATIOh 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranbenv Townshio PA t60Se 



